{"id":50939,"date":"2021-09-28T17:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T21:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=50939"},"modified":"2021-10-11T14:26:15","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T18:26:15","slug":"personal-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/personal-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2 Steps to Assuming Personal Accountability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you understand personal accountability? What does it really take to assume ownership of your life and hold yourself accountable<\/a> for its outcomes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal accountability means understanding that you control your own fate. To hold yourself accountable, you have to become comfortable examining the part you play (through action or inaction) in getting into or remaining in negative situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two steps to this: 1) face the facts, or evaluate problems without flinching from difficult realities, and 2) Admit your role by being honest about how your actions affected the problem. We’ll discuss both of these principles below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Face the Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can’t have accountability if you don’t face the facts of a situation\u2014that is, if you don\u2019t confront reality<\/a>. The authors contend that facing facts or reality entails dealing with three elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Changes in Your Surroundings <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People often try to carry on as usual when circumstances have changed. It\u2019s irrational, but it\u2019s something we\u2019re all prone to doing. Don\u2019t get stuck in that rut; face the problem and think about how you\u2019re going to adapt. For example, the arrival of a new competitor in your industry might mean your company has to come up with creative ways to stay relevant. Or a loud new neighbor moving in might mean you have to invest in earplugs if you want to sleep through the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Other People\u2019s Perceptions of You <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you\u2019ll disagree with another person\u2019s read of a situation, but their opinion has a real impact on you, so you have to make space for it. In your professional life, that person might be your boss or a client; in your personal life, they might be a partner, a child, a relative, or a friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your partner\u2019s version of reality is that you\u2019re not communicative enough, it\u2019s not sufficient to say, \u201cThat\u2019s not true,\u201d even if you really believe they\u2019re wrong. You have to confront those feelings and find a way to work it out if you want the relationship to continue\u2014whether that means discussing your communication styles, compromising, or making an effort to change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Rather than denying the reality, you can change your behavior plus others\u2019 perceptions of you<\/a> with three steps: 1) Get more feedback (ask about the impact of your behavior and how you can do things differently); 2) Explain your intentions or the reasons behind your behavior; and 3) Ask others how you\u2019re doing on improving.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Your Own Shortcomings <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Be honest with yourself about mistakes you\u2019ve made in the past and areas where you could improve. No one likes feeling as if they\u2019ve done something wrong. It\u2019s easier to push the blame onto someone else, and we have an arsenal of excuses and rationalizations that enable us to do that, telling ourselves: They\u2019re biased, they don\u2019t understand us, they\u2019re not treating us fairly. It feels like a form of self-protection, but it\u2019s actually self-destructive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your manager gives you a harsh performance review, your knee-jerk reaction might be denial: They\u2019re biased, you might tell yourself, or they\u2019re treating you unfairly. There may be some truth to those rationalizations, but you\u2019ll benefit more from asking yourself: What if my manager is right? What specifically did they notice me doing\u2014or not doing\u2014that could have contributed to the review they gave me? That line of thinking might help you improve your work and your next review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Admit Your Role<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve faced the facts of your situation, The Oz Principle\u2019s<\/em> next step toward personal accountability is to \u201cown\u201d <\/strong>your situation by acknowledging that you\u2019re not only a victim of circumstance, but that you contributed<\/em> to those circumstances. While this is uncomfortable, the authors point out that it comes with a benefit: Once you realize you had a hand in creating the problem, it\u2019s easier to see how you can create the solution; it\u2019s a way of taking back power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Make Sure You\u2019re Seeing Things Clearly<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are several techniques to help you see patterns of thinking and behavior that are holding you back<\/a> from acknowledging your role:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Self-Assess <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself, based on prior experiences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n