Accountability: Try It, It's Fun

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I have days now and again, as we all do, where I feel a little spent after my day in public.  I won't even just say at work, because sometimes the adventure continues when you go to the grocery store or the pizza place.  I have finally concluded that the theme is often a lack of accountability.

Accountability is a funny thing, because it is a life skill that only we can control for ourselves.  It is a self-leadership tool, and a skill set that not everyone has.  And that is okay, but I think it is in all of our best interest if we are aware of it, and strive to be just a little bit better at it.

As a close cousin to negativity, a lack of accountability is something I try and avoid in my day if possible.  Today I was less successful, since it was a pretty classic Monday riddled with phone calls and e-mails from people less concerned with "owning it" or finding solutions.

I often think back to the lady who yelled incessantly at the pizza counter clerk on Valentine's Day a few months ago about the fact that she had been waiting 15 minutes for the pizza for her family and now she was going to be late.  She did this in front of four other customers and her visibly uncomfortable teenage daughter.  She had one foot on the "blame others" rung, and the other on the just plain "unaware" part of the ladder.  I told the pizza clerk that they were doing a terrific job on one of their busiest nights, and that they shouldn't let one lady bring them down.  As for her daughter, I hope she stays uncomfortable with her mother's behavior and recognizes that she doesn't have to act that way.

It is not always easy to be accountable, but I find it to be a good way to feel like I am in control of the world around me.  If I only blame others, then I certainly don't feel very in control of my own destiny.  If I own my attitude and my actions, I feel much more in control of my day.

Tuesday always promises to be less Monday-ish, so my goal tomorrow is to shake it off, be one notch more accountable than today, and hopefully lend a hand to pull up the people still stuck at "excuses" or "wait and hope."  It's good to have goals.