It's a common story. You end a strategic meeting. There are several initiatives on which everyone agrees are important to complete by the end of the quarter. Everyone at the table says they will contribute to get it all done, but when the end of the quarter arrives very little of the list actually got accomplished. It's not that these were bad people or that they didn't work hard. In fact they were likely all highly responsible members of the team. The problem was that no one was actually accountable for making sure the initiatives were complete.
Many struggle with the definition of accountability versus responsibility. The difference is simple. Many people can be responsible for helping out on a task or initiative. But accountability belongs only to one person who will be judged on the completion of the project.
Truly accountable people are very hard to find. Accountability comes from within. It is not something you are given, you have to choose it to own it. Here are 8 of the many habits accountable people choose to make part of their everyday life.
