Your job may already have specific performance standards in place which are reviewed periodically by supervisors, but you can show your boss that accountability is important to you by actively seeking extra feedback about your performance. You might seek feedback regarding a specific project or assignment you recently finished, or you might want get a general idea for how you are doing. Show initiative by asking people in leadership positions questions about what they do and ways you can help them. This builds trust and rapport. [2] X Expert Source Tara BradfordLife & Mindset Coach Expert Interview. 16 September 2020.
Be sure to ask questions that are specific to get the feedback you desire. For example, you might say something like, “I worked really hard on that presentation, but I’d love some feedback on where I could improve. Do you have any input?”
Try creating an anonymous survey that you can distribute to your employees. This may provide you with more honest feedback because they will be less likely to worry about the comments they make backfiring on them.
Make sure that you do not take the feedback personally. Look at it as an opportunity to improve. One way to make implementing feedback less intimidating is to gamify it. For instance, you can write down your goal and then track how long it takes you to do your task, like enter data in a spreadsheet. Then, you can try to beat that time the next time. [3] X Expert Source Tara BradfordLife & Mindset Coach Expert Interview. 16 September 2020.
This is hardest when you have made a mistake or have not quite made the best of an opportunity you have been given. It may feel natural to shift the blame or make excuses that focus on outside forces, but being upfront and honest about your work is an important aspect of accountability. [5] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020. Owning up to shortcomings will show the people you work with and for that you are not trying to hide anything. When you do mess up, and you have to be honest with someone about the mistake, it is always good to have an idea or plan for how to remedy the situation. Being honest and owning the mistake is the first step, but there is most likely still something that needs to happen. Having a solution to the problem ready when you admit the mistake will help ease the tension and show that you are not giving up. Think of it this way—you’re powerless when you blame somebody or something for a problem. When you take responsibility, you become empowered rather than being the victim of those circumstances. [6] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020.
Be sure to avoid digital distractions during this time as well. Log out of your social media accounts and shut off your phone.
Figure out what the best method will be for you to keep track. You can go with the simple method of having a notebook that is designated as a spending log. Keep it with you all the time and write down each time you spend money. Or, if you can remember, wait until the end of the day to write the accumulated expenditures of the day. Keeping your receipts for each purchase could be a good idea. If the notebook method doesn’t work, maybe you are more tech oriented and you can keep a spreadsheet on your computer, or a detailed note on your phone or tablet. This could be a good option for the added benefit of calculation features that spreadsheet software offers. Consider signing up for a money management service like Mint, Good Budget, or Money Manager.
If you are already in credit card debt, it is probably best to seek further financial counseling, but if you don’t yet have credit cards, or just recently got one, you can start responsible practices right now. Think of a credit card in terms of accountability: the credit card company bought something on your behalf with the express agreement that you would pay them back promptly. Paying them back a little at a time, or defaulting on payments completely, is not showing good accountability on your part.
Maybe you have not spent much time considering what your life’s purpose is, but this is an important piece of goal setting and goal fulfillment. Without a specific overall goal for your life, smaller goals may end up being inconsequential. Once you have considered your purpose and written out a succinct but thorough mission statement, you can begin to make decisions based on it. Keep it somewhere you will remember and refer to it once a week or more to keep fresh in your mind what you have committed to.
Make sure to reevaluate the goals you set occasionally as well.
Set goals that are based on specific actions rather than emotions. Focus on what you want to accomplish rather than what you want to feel.
Taking a 10-minute walk each day would be considered a realistic goal, while expecting yourself to walk for an entire hour would be unrealistic. You can always increase your goal after you reach your initial one. For instance, after taking a daily 10-minute walk for 2 weeks, you could increase your total daily walking time to 20 minutes. [14] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020.
Make long-term to do lists and prioritize which things need to be done first, second, and so on. For to do lists that you know will last a while, try to think about doing one or two of the tasks each day until they are all accomplished.
For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds in one year’s time, the steps will include exercising more, eating less, and establishing an overall routine. A micro-goal could be, “Today I will not eat junk food and I will walk one mile. ” Micro-goals are baby steps that become the foundation for larger, ultimate goals.
It can also be really important to give proper time to considering whether or not you should make a promise in the first place. Think about what it will take to fulfill a promise and honestly assess whether or not you can keep it. It is way easier to refrain from making a promise to someone than it is to explain why you didn’t keep it. When you do break a promise, being accountable means confessing to your lapse and sincerely saying you are sorry. In many cases, this will not take away the consequences of the broken promise, but accepting those consequences is better than avoiding them. You have to really step-out of the victim mentality. You are the sole responsible for what you do and for the decisions you make. There’s no one else to blame. So, be accountable for your role. [18] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020.
Sometimes you may disappoint people by not being able to agree to exactly what they ask of you, but the small disappointment will most likely be outweighed by you fulfilling the agreement. If you agree to something and then fail to deliver, more than disappointment, the other person will probably experience anger at you. If you try to negotiate something that you feel confident you can achieve, and the person is unwilling to compromise on their original preference, you should say no if this is at all an option. Tell the person you do not feel you can deliver what they are asking and that you would rather say no than agree to it and end up failing.
The specific situation you are in will dictate how detailed of a written agreement you should make. Jotting a brief note to yourself may be enough, but the situation may also warrant a thoroughly detailed contract between you and someone else. You may both want to sign and date it for any potential legal consequences of the agreement. At the very least, writing down your commitments will help you remember, and at the most it could serve as evidence for the future.
