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When hearing the word "accountability" the typical mind automatically thinks of blame. That something has gone wrong, and someone must be held "accountable." However, accountability is not necessarily a negative thing. We are all accountable for something, be it good or bad. If indeed we are accountable for something going wrong, then we have the responsibility to take ownership of it, and to rise above it. If we are responsible for success, we should stand with pride, knowing that we are accountable for that success.

Creating a culture of accountability is the idea that we as a society need to work less at placing blame, and work harder at accepting responsibility in order to be successful, both in our daily lives and in our careers. As a parent, we are held accountable for the behavior and actions of our children. The truth lies in the fact that we nurture our children, we lead them by example, and we give them the tools to move forward in their lives. We can't just wish good things for our children. We have to teach them how to make good things happen, ultimately transferring that accountability to them.

The same is certainly true in the workplace. As an employee, there are certain goals and expectations given to you. You are accountable for these expectations. If you are successful, you are compensated by job security, better hours, a heftier bonus, or whatever your company's perks may be. If you are a member of management, that accountability becomes even more apparent. You are responsible for the actions of those you manage, and if they perform well, then it reflects upon you as being a great manager. In turn, if things have not gone so well for your team, you must take ownership of that shortfall, and take steps to improve it.

In order to create a culture of accountability, we have to be willing to fully analyze a situation. Pointing fingers and making excuses does not create a favorable culture. It's a "easy out" to find a scapegoat as to why something is not working. We have to look beneath the surface. Instead of the mentality that dismisses a problem by saying, "It never worked anyway," we need to ask ourselves why it never worked.

Thomas Edison took pride in the fact that it took him a thousand tries before he created a light bulb that would actually light. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if that very first try, the light bulb had shone bright? But think of what he must have learned in that process. His pride was not only in his success, but in his perseverance that led him to that success.

So how do we create this culture of accountability? We start from the bottom. What is the core problem or situation that we're dealing with? Secondly, we take ownership of that problem. This is my responsibility to make this work. Next, we develop a plan of action. What steps do I need to take to be successful at this? And finally, we have to put that plan into action.

If we can create more of a culture of accountability, society as a whole will flourish. There will be less blame. There will be less of a tendency to ignore potential problems. Instead there will be more people stepping up with solutions, and more people working as a team to make things happen. And when this world is a better place, we can all be held accountable.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Hopkins.
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