You Don’t Need To Hold Me Accountable

Accountability is one of those overused and often misunderstood buzzwords. People get together in what they refer to as accountability groups which are in reality re-countability groups.  People in this type of group get together to recount what has happened in their life over the last week or so, which may also include a time of reflection and confession.

Suppose I am part of a group who is trying to lose weight.  I regularly meet with other people to talk about my diet and weight loss program. It usually works like this: I tell the group how much weight I need to lose and the period of time over which I need to lose it. At subsequent meetings I share my success for which I am applauded or share my failure at which time I am encouraged to work harder. So what motivates my weight loss? Is it the value of a healthy lifestyle or the fear of being shamed?

I have an accounting program to track the financial position of my business, including a comparison of my budget to actual. It measures my compliance to the value of ensuring that my income exceeds my outgo so my upkeep doesn't become my downfall. I am not concerned in the least about meeting with an accountability group to demonstrate that my business is profitable. Why? Because I am intrinsically motivated; it is a personal value. I want my business to be successful because that is what is important to me. (I neglected to mention that it is also a value of my bank manager).

Currently I am meeting with two other men who are vocationally in a similar situation where we are required to manage our own time. Each of us has decided that time management is important. We do not connect to hold each other accountable but rather to look at ways in which we can individually be more effective in accomplishing our stated values.

The current use of the term accountability usually implies that others will hold me responsible to do something which I do not value enough to do on my own.

This concept of accountability is not original with me. One of the best books I have read recently is The Twelve Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, in which they discuss accountability as a character trait.