Accountability: Are You Meeting the Challenge?

Accountability and You: Are You Meeting the Challenge?

What exactly does it mean to be accountable?

Accountable: adj. – The obligation of an individual to account for his/her activities, accept responsibility for them and to disclose the results in a transparent manner – (www.businessdictionary.com) 

In simple terms, being accountable involves:

> Accepting responsibility for your actions

> Being answerable for the outcomes

> Taking ownership of your mistakes

Being accountable usually doesn’t come easy for anyone and it takes practice. However, learning to be accountable is highly beneficial and with time anyone can improve. Consider the following:

Accountability is closely linked with enhancing the following positive life benefits:

Trust

Successful relationships

Security

Teamwork

Leadership

Confidence

Achievement of goals

To put it in perspective, think of the kind of person who you would want as a leader – Wouldn’t you want that person to be accountable for his or her actions? If you were assembling a team of some kind, wouldn’t you desire the members of that team to all be accountable? Accountability leads to success

Avoiding accountability by making excuses, blaming, lying, etc. is taking the short term easy way out when a problem arises. Facing your problems, mistakes, and challenges by being accountable is a path toward long term success.

Opening thoughts for self-examination: Which way do you lean when it comes to accountability?

> Point fingers or provide answers?

> Work hard or whine?

> Accept or accuse?

> Face the facts or flee?

> Confront challenges or criticize?

For a printable version of this article with additional group therapy exercise CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Also view: Accountability Self Examination Worksheet

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Use Your Brain and Not Your Pain

What we say and what we do, especially in the heat of an emotionally charged moment, can usually be traced back to originate from one of two figurative areas: From our “brain” or from our “pain”*. Consider the following:

Our Brain – This is the metaphorical part of our consciousness that can put aside emotion to instead use rational and reasonable thinking. Decisions and actions are then based on a combination of sound judgment, reason, logic and good sense.

Our Pain – This symbolizes our personal collection of emotionally-charged memories of how we were mistreated, abused, hurt, frightened, cheated, tricked or taken advantage of in the past. This can be especially hard to ignore when the pain comes from a deep emotional scar or when the painful wound is still “open” (e.g. has not healed yet)

Surely you are already aware of the value of thinking before reacting and it is likely that you have been instructed to think before you speak since childhood. However, the question is, are you putting this into practice, especially in difficult, impassioned, or emotionally sensitive situations? It can be a challenge. Consider a few common ways to recognize if your thoughts and actions are coming more from your “brain” or more from your “pain”

Know Yourself…Questions for Discussion:

Did anything in the above chart stand out to you personally? What are some of your strengths and challenges?

When it comes to emotional pain, what are some of your sensitive areas? (Think about things that can trigger you)

Discuss and share as a group: What is helpful to you personally when it comes to successfully managing your emotions in a positive way, even when you may be feeling triggered?

*This concept of “brain vs. pain” is being presented in a very basic and brief format as a simplified tool for decision making when facing stress or conflict particularly when coping with a substance use or mental health issue. Similar expanded and more detailed versions of this concept our outlined and explained in greater detail in several therapeutic approaches such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and others.

CLICK HERE - FOR A DOWNLOADABLE & PRINTABLE FORMAT OF THIS

(With additional group therapy activity) 

www.takingtheescalator.com