Articles
To be or not to be - Accountable
Do you ever ask others for feedback?
Do you know what your associates, customers and others think of you?
Are you continually surprised when you don’t meet your goals or you receive negative performance reports?
Do you ever go home and complain about your bosses (and company) because of what you perceive to be unfair treatment?
Are you putting off doing something (or making a change) that you know you need to do or make?
To be sure, it takes courage to acknowledge a difficult situation and ask for one’s thoughts. It’s my opinion, that in most troublesome situations, people know, in the deep recesses of their minds, that changing something they fear and resist will be difficult and uncomfortable. It’s far easier to run away than to solve a problem. It’s far easier to harbor an untrue illusion, than to admit that you’re wrong. It’s far easier to blame someone else, than to lose face over your shortcomings.
Grasping the reality (of your situation) is the first step towards taking accountability for your life and career. You simply must be able to acknowledge where you’re falling short.
One key is asking for feedback. What you think about your performance is mostly irrelevant. It’s what others think and you gain great insight from frequent, regular and continual feedback sessions. Make sure to create a comfortable and safe environment for those you ask for feedback. Make sure to specify that you want honest feedback and not a watery, sugared down commentary that skirts the real truth. Don’t lead the witness by stating your thoughts and then asking for one’s opinion. Express your appreciation and resist the urge to get defensive and angry.
It’s though this process, that you will begin to take greater accountability for your actions. You will spend less time playing the victim role and less time blaming others for your shortcomings. You will spend less time engaging in behavior that moves you farther away from your goals.
When you get your answers – it will pay to change some habits.
Be forewarned! The process will be simple, but not easy. Very simple to want to bring change into your life, but not easy to have the courage and commitment to make it a reality. By the way, I’m far from perfect in this regard. I struggle by drinking way too much Diet Coke. Well, not anymore. Today is my 12th day in a row with no caffeine – and that’s from 12 cans a day and it all started by asking my family for some honest feedback about my caffeine habits. Turns out they were worried so I gave it up.
Trust me, if I can do it anybody can.
So the question stands: Do you have the courage to change when it is easier to remain comfortable? There is great distance between I will and I am and an even bigger distance between I am and I have become. Bridging that gap is the key. Moving forward each day is essential.
Taking more accountability is not a fad or next year’s New Year’s resolution, it’s far more important. It’s a topic that I will be tackling with vigor as we head into 2010 and the choice for bringing about improvement in your sales success (by taking accountability for your career) is yours.
Yes, the choice is yours.
