Accountability

As I wind down into my final weeks due to my pending redundancy at the end of august, I would like to talk a bit about what I have learnt fro my current role. I will be making reference to things whenever I can, rather than one big post! I hope you find them helpful and interesting to read, always open for discussion too! I will try not to use quotes or articles. I will simply share what I have learnt in the way I have learnt/perceived the subject matter or skill. 

So I wanted to start with accountability. 

Accountability is so important in any role, it is the core of ones' personal development in some ways. It requires one to step up in wrong and right situations: praise and critically evaluate, speak up when you know you have achieved something, but also when you know something hasn't gone quite to plan. I have often thought of accountability as a process that is A) Led by senior leadership teams, but also B) A responsibility of each individual employee, no matter what level or grade you are at/on. I am sure many will agree.

In my role accountability is important for both my personal tasks, but also those that my work feeds into. Quality assurance is beyond checking something or ensuring something is following a policy or procedure. It is digging into a highlighted problem, (that has been found through careful planning and investigation) and assessing the real quality and value that is required. It is all about education, support and working together for a commonly goal. My role isn't to harp on at people when they do something wrong, it is to support and offer assistance on areas of improvement. Quality assurance: It's in the name. This is one of the most valuable lessons I learnt early on; That holding people accountable doesn't mean you beat with batons, it means you support in achieving business and organisational goals and adherence of policies and procedures together. So accountability has been a big part of my role.

By being accountable or holding key people who are responsible, accountable, an organisation is practising not only open and honest practises, but also creating a safety net for their employees. Showing you can be accountable as an organisation, as an executive, as a senior leader, or as an employee at a different level, you are emphasising the "Open door" policy that many have but never really fulfil or explain. At least that is the way I see it. Accountability allows for processes to flow with a natural stream of communication.

Next, I want to talk about the different types of accountability and where one would display or hold accountability. Firstly, as mentioned above, accountability is about being responsible for something, whether that is for something positive or negative. Often people refer to accountability for negative instances or mistakes that have been made, but it does work both ways. It is equally as important for ones' development to hold accountability when things have been achieved and good practices are displayed. It is great for ones' self awareness, amongst many other things, but in instances where mistakes have been made or negativity does prevail, it is important to offer actions to support and guidance to evidence where people need to be held accountable. Secondly, going back to what I have learnt and my experiences directly. Accountability in a more senior role that requires management is about taking accountability for others you are responsible for. Another thing I learnt very early on in my career is that communication and commitments between managers and those being line managed is something that should be highly regarded. The professional relationship between a manager and their employee is something that reflects ones work, dedication and commitment. I personally have experienced if a manager is supportive, values their employees commitment and has the "Always available (Within limits of course) and no question is a silly question" approach, my work ethic is more likely to be positive and reflective of how I am being treated as an employee. It's the whole treat people how you want to be treated mantra, but with accountability in this sense, it is almost treat people how you would want them to them treat others. It is also about prioritising your responsibility, so if you are held accountable, you know where you stand.

The two types of accountability I have spoken about can be split into personal and accountability of those you are responsible for, so accountability for others.

Overall, accountability is an important part of any business, organisation and development, not only as a person but professionally. Taking that responsibility is something that will help you become a better person, whether that is improvement, or accepting that you did something right or positive that deserves to be recognised and associated with you.