Building Leadership Character: What is Personal Accountability?

The term accountability can be scary enough, and when you add personal to the front of it, the angst can ratchet up even further. As I have written previously in Accountability Isn’t a Four-Letter Word, accountability is not something to fear, shy away from, or discount. It is what makes leaders who they are and sets people apart. Accountability, and certainly personal accountability, is a character trait.

I had previously shared in, ’What is Accountability — a Leader’s Guide to Effective Accountability‘, a definition of personal accountability:

Personal Accountability — Owning the current and future outcomes to find a path forward to deliver the expected results or something better.

With experience, time, and developing a further understanding of the importance and impact that a personal accountability mindset can have, I have expanded my definition.

Here is an updated look on how I would define personal accountability:

Personal accountability is the responsibility individuals take for their actions, decisions, and outcomes, both personally and professionally. It involves recognizing one's role in any given situation, proactively seeking solutions, and following through on commitments without blaming others or external circumstances. This mindset builds trust, establishes reliability, and ensures continuous improvement.

Personal accountability isn't just a buzzword; it's a cornerstone of effective leadership and a thriving retail (or any business) environment. Unlike general accountability, which often involves holding others to standards and expectations, personal accountability is about taking full ownership of our actions, decisions, and their outcomes. As retail leaders, whether you're managing a single store, a district, or a region, embracing personal accountability means setting the tone for your entire team. It's about asking, "What can I do to improve this situation?" rather than pointing fingers or waiting for someone else to resolve the problem. This proactive mindset drives better results and builds trust and respect among your team members. When we model personal accountability, we demonstrate the character and integrity that inspire our teams to follow suit, creating a culture where everyone is committed to achieving collective goals. By consistently practicing personal accountability, we can navigate challenges more effectively, foster a more engaged and motivated workforce, and ultimately achieve greater success in our retail operations.

What does personal accountability look like?

Beyond what has already been described, personal accountability begins with your mindset, and the questions you ask yourself. It really can be that simple, in principle. However, the actions on the other side of those factors are far more challenging. In the book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life, author John G. Miller frames personal accountability through the questions you ask yourself.

Ask yourself questions that begin with what or how and contain ‘I’ in the question. Examples: What can I do to help solve this situation? How can I approach this in a better way?

We will dive in deeper to this approach later as we discuss how to put personal accountability to work for you. Understanding the concept at this point is important to get a sense of the framework of what personal accountability is.

In the book, The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability, the authors use a four-step approach to guiding your personal accountability outcomes.

See It: Recognizing and acknowledging the reality of the situation.

Own It: Taking responsibility for one’s role in the situation.

Solve It: Developing solutions and strategies to overcome challenges.

Do It: Taking action and following through on commitments.

I like the approach here as well, but it too can make it feel like a simple answer to a complex question. See It and Own It can be combined into a single step for further simplicity. If you can recognize the reality of the situation, you should also be able to realize the role you play in the outcomes you are getting. And when things are not to expectation, you play a role in defining a solution. Solving it is often the ‘fun’ part. Problem-solving, ideation, trying new things can be a rewarding experience. But it should also lead to new and better outcomes. Thinking of new things to try is usually not anyone’s problem. It is actually doing it that gets in the way. That last step is the differentiator. We can all talk about what we should do different. It can be easy to own a poor result. But doing something different is the hard part. It means employing real change. It involves some level of conflict. And almost assuredly will require moving into a personal discomfort zone. This falls into the category of easy to say, very difficult to do. As I have said many times on similar topics, “if it were easy to do, everyone would be doing it.”

By consistently practicing personal accountability, we can navigate challenges more effectively, foster a more engaged and motivated workforce, and ultimately achieve greater success in our business. But what does personal accountability look like in action? It begins with your mindset and the questions you ask yourself. Ask questions that begin with what or how and contain ‘I’ in the question. These questions shift your focus to what you can control and how you can contribute positively.

Using a multistep approach like the Oz Principle introduces can also be an excellent framework for defining your personal accountability process and ensuring that you work through all phases of ownership. Seeing and owning it, finding new solutions, and ultimately taking action on those ideas to generate change. It’s crucial to remember that seeing and owning the situation often go hand-in-hand. Recognizing the reality of a situation should naturally lead you to understand your role in it and how you can influence the outcome. However, the real challenge lies in the "Do It" step, taking action is what truly sets accountable leaders apart.

In the next article, we'll dive deeper into practical strategies for implementing personal accountability into your leadership style. We'll explore actionable steps you can take to ensure that accountability becomes a core part of your everyday activities and leadership approach. Stay tuned as we transform these principles into real-world practices that can drive your team and store to new heights.

How do you approach personal accountability? What does it mean to you?

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