The Practice of Accountability
I have been struggling lately with how to practice accountability in a world that seems to operate more in a non-servant leadership mode then in servant leadership mode. It might be that my problem is I tend to focus more on account-ability related to the definition of account being “to bring about the capture, death, or destruction of something.” Thinking that way and then having to act accordingly makes it difficult to act if action means the end of those I act on, and is definitely not what servant leadership is all about.
Ann McGee-Cooper came up with a much more user friendly version of accountability in her essay “Accountability as Covenant: The Taproot of Servant-Leadership”, from the book INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP. (Here is a link to the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership's review of the book.)
She writes that accountability happens when “we lay out the role of each of us…how each can best support the other in achieving this shared vision. Both will be leaders and followers, both will answer to the other on promises made. Failures will be explored as opportunities to learn and grow. Each will expect to unlearn and change.” This is a great model for accountability when both parties are playing by the rules of servant leadership, but it does not seem to work so well when both parties are not playing by the rules.
As one striving to practice servant leadership, how should I practice accountability in the world? Firstly it seems I need to hold my self accountable for my own actions. The OUR VISION section of the Ann McGee-Cooper Associates (AMCA) web page addresses this under the AUTHENTICTY/INTEGRITY Values section where it is written, “To live at our best, we each take responsibility for clarifying a personal vision/mission/values statement. We are committed, self-reflective futurists accountable to live what we teach.” This reminds me that I need to hold true to the values I believe in. If I do not act according to those values, I am not being accountable to anyone.
How do I work with others to help them to become more accountable? In her essay, Dr. McGee-Cooper points out that “accountability encourages each person to begin with unconditional love and acceptance of self and others.” If I cannot accept that others have a right to hold values and actions that are different from my own, then in the end I will practice the accountability of destruction. I need to accept others as they are, be willing to find the common ground, and have the patience to work with them despite the differences.
It seems that the key to becoming effective in the practice of accountability lies in the ability to hold true to my own beliefs and to accept others beliefs as equally valid, and through the interactions that occur with others to be willing to remold and further develop my beliefs and actions as a continuous process. McGee-Cooper addresses this well in her essays closing analogy of “accountability as the taproot that reaches deep into the soil and rocks, drawing precious nutrients and life-quenching water while anchoring the plant against wind and storm.” And “by closing the loop and choosing to learn from all that happens, whether pleasing or disappointing, we send a taproot deep into the soil of shared experience. With each accounting we learn to grow stronger.” I need to be willing to go through the struggles and interactions to continue the process of growth, which is really what accountability seems to be about.
Additional thoughts on accountability are appreciated.
Ann McGee-Cooper came up with a much more user friendly version of accountability in her essay “Accountability as Covenant: The Taproot of Servant-Leadership”, from the book INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP. (Here is a link to the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership's review of the book.)
She writes that accountability happens when “we lay out the role of each of us…how each can best support the other in achieving this shared vision. Both will be leaders and followers, both will answer to the other on promises made. Failures will be explored as opportunities to learn and grow. Each will expect to unlearn and change.” This is a great model for accountability when both parties are playing by the rules of servant leadership, but it does not seem to work so well when both parties are not playing by the rules.
As one striving to practice servant leadership, how should I practice accountability in the world? Firstly it seems I need to hold my self accountable for my own actions. The OUR VISION section of the Ann McGee-Cooper Associates (AMCA) web page addresses this under the AUTHENTICTY/INTEGRITY Values section where it is written, “To live at our best, we each take responsibility for clarifying a personal vision/mission/values statement. We are committed, self-reflective futurists accountable to live what we teach.” This reminds me that I need to hold true to the values I believe in. If I do not act according to those values, I am not being accountable to anyone.
How do I work with others to help them to become more accountable? In her essay, Dr. McGee-Cooper points out that “accountability encourages each person to begin with unconditional love and acceptance of self and others.” If I cannot accept that others have a right to hold values and actions that are different from my own, then in the end I will practice the accountability of destruction. I need to accept others as they are, be willing to find the common ground, and have the patience to work with them despite the differences.
It seems that the key to becoming effective in the practice of accountability lies in the ability to hold true to my own beliefs and to accept others beliefs as equally valid, and through the interactions that occur with others to be willing to remold and further develop my beliefs and actions as a continuous process. McGee-Cooper addresses this well in her essays closing analogy of “accountability as the taproot that reaches deep into the soil and rocks, drawing precious nutrients and life-quenching water while anchoring the plant against wind and storm.” And “by closing the loop and choosing to learn from all that happens, whether pleasing or disappointing, we send a taproot deep into the soil of shared experience. With each accounting we learn to grow stronger.” I need to be willing to go through the struggles and interactions to continue the process of growth, which is really what accountability seems to be about.
Additional thoughts on accountability are appreciated.
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