🪺 + 🙂 + 👩🏽🤝👩🏼
Welcome back to the blog! So happy you are here! I am so excited for the start of this blog series because I am diving deeper into our values so that you get a closer look at what they mean, what they look like in real life, and why they matter! Let’s start with accountability.
What is it?
Google defines accountability as “the quality or state of being accountable, especially as an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions” (40). To be accountable is to take responsibility for one’s actions, the good and the bad. Oftentimes, it is easy for us to show up and take responsibility for all of the good we do. We are quick to share the positive reviews, the people we have helped, and the organizations we have served. Sometimes, though, it can be harder to take responsibility for the times we fall short, for the times we hurt others, and for the times we give more to ourselves than others. This is when vulnerability and integrity come in [more on those values for another blog post].
Accountability can be as simple as showing up for a meeting or as detailed as organizing a major event. The idea is that when things go well, you celebrate the success toward those to which it belongs and when things fall short, you accept that it was a miss and look to see how things can be improved for next time.
Who should hold you accountable?
In my opinion, it appears you should hold two groups of people accountable: yourself and the rest of the world.
Yourself. When you make a promise to yourself do you follow through on the promise or push it off to do the next day? Holding yourself accountable looks like making a to do list and taking the necessary steps to complete the list. It is pushing through the excuses that you make up in your head and moving forward.
The rest of the world. This is a couple different groups of people in one: your family, your friends, your team members, and the stranger walking down the street. When your family members or friends are vulnerable with you, are you offering them advice and then following up with to ensure they are taking the next best step or are you secretly judging them in your head and behind their back? When your team members at work make a mistake, are you embracing this as a learning opportunity or are you gossiping about their mishap? And, (I am all for stranger-danger, so when safe), are you addressing strangers as humans in a calm demeanor or are you speaking condescending without any empathy for their circumstance (39)?
Why does it matter for you?
Accountability matters for many reasons. Personally, I think accountability is important because it builds trust and creates an environment in which you focus on your goals.
Builds trust. When you continually take responsibility for your actions (good or bad), you are showing others that you are trustworthy. You gain the respect of your peers from swallowing your pride and admitting your wrong doings rather than covering up your mistake to appear as if you have it all together. Overtime, this builds strong and authentic connections which gives you more meaningful connections.
Goals. When you hold yourself and others accountable, you remain focused on your goals and gravitate toward the path of growth.
Why it matters to Alice-Hilton.
At Alice-Hilton, we want you to do great in your relationships and mindset. Part of showing up as your higher self is living out the values you have chosen to live by. For us, one of those values is accountability. We believe that you get what you give. So if you give hate, judgment, and anger, you will at some point receive that back in your life. In turn, if you give love, respect, and a helping hand, you too will receive that back in your life. So , when you see someone slipping up and operating from a place of judgment, anger, and gossip, hold them accountable to live a better life as your little accountability buddy and you too will receive someone who will believe in you to raise you up to a better life.
Thanks for visiting Alice-Hilton. Share this blog with someone who is doing great. We hope you leave here feeling like you have emerged into the beautiful butterfly that you are.
AND, YOU ARE DOING GREAT 🦋.