Accountability
We can now turn to the complement of responsibility. This is Accountability—which includes the ability to truthfully answer and explain the “why” of our behavior. It is the willingness to understand that we are accountable to other people and the vision and values to which we are committed. As Sandstrom and Smith (2005) have observed, for most people, it has evolved into the art of making excuses, shifting fault, and disowning consequences. Frequently we don’t even consider the consequences, since most have abandoned the idea that we are accountable for anything. Conscience is vaguely misunderstood. It is “something” that most often just burdens us and should be ignored.
When that word is used in New Testament scripture, it is the Greek word for suneidesis which literally means the soul’s ability to distinguish between what is morally good and bad. We are prompted by suneidesis to do the good and shun the bad. From an appreciative perspective, it is assumed that all humans are designed with a conscience. There is a suneidesis that can haunt them. If we walk with and are guided by a clear sense of purpose and act on behalf of specific values and a compelling vision of the future, then we are fully aware of the decisions we should make and the directions in which we should travel. Conscience and accountability walk hand in hand.
Support
As we have noted in our previous analysis of spans, the greater the requirement of responsibility and accountability, the greater is the need for support from other people. Given the remarkable demands made on a Best Practice Five leader for accountability and responsibility—and high expectations regarding influence—this leader must receive all the support possible from other members of their organization or community. The nature of support that is needed is wide ranging—be it encouragement, empathetic listening, offering of a helping hand, or timely provision of appropriate resources. However, Best Practice Five support goes beyond these secular initiatives. There is the matter of forgiveness and Grace.
Leaders make mistakes and do not always make the best possible decision on behalf of a shared vision of the future or on behalf of the greater good. If a leader tries to avoid making mistakes in the VUCA-Plus world of the mid-21st century (Bergquist, 2019), then they are likely to remain frozen in place. They make the greatest mistake possible which is inaction while their world is burning. As we have noted previously, it is not a matter of avoiding mistakes. It is a matter of learning from these mistakes and not repeatedly making the same mistake. For this learning to occur, there must be a remarkable spiritual level of care and support from other people.
Sandstrom and Smith (2005) offer an important insight at this point: one of the greatest and most overlooked tragedies associated with accountability and responsibility is the erecting of barriers that block forgiveness and growth. It is critical that we recognize that forgiveness can’t be received without awareness and accountability for our actions. The ability to be accountable is a neon sign to others clearly indicating a person’s level of integrity and maturity. Personal accountability opens the door to support from others. On occasion it also means accepting and enduring hardships that may come as the consequences of our behavior. Despite the potential hardships, it is important to remember that accountability ultimately unlocks the key to personal growth.
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