Tips To Becoming More Accountable and Influential
Personal accountability isn’t just something you are born with, it’s a mindset, a skill that you can learn.
- Stop Blaming Others:
If a situation has gone wrong, take responsibility for your own actions. If you are someone who passes on the blame, you need to reach deep within and find out why you need to do this. You will not only lose respect from those people you are blaming but from others as well. You need to realize they know what you’re doing. Focus on correcting the problem, use this as an opportunity to build a bridge, not creating walls. - Admit Mistakes:
Mark Twain once said, “When in doubt, just tell the truth”. Believe it or not, most companies and people do not expect you to be perfect. While they are pushing people to do more with less these days, they recognize people make mistakes. If you make a mistake, admit it immediately. Then, take steps to make up for those mistakes. Show some sincerity and let others know that you’ll do what it takes to make the situation right. - Reward Yourself:
When you are tasked with certain responsibilities, you should also be given rewards when you meet them. Hopefully, your company recognizes when you complete your tasks. Even if they don’t, find ways to reward yourself. This can go a long way in making your efforts worth doing. - It’s All About Integrity:
Being accountable helps you sleep better at night. People will respect you more, and when you live up to your responsibilities, it will give you a sense of satisfaction. A successful life is a matter of integrity, and it is a quality that is required of people who want to take on leadership roles. Be completely honest with yourself and with others. - Set an Example:
Be the person that others look up to. When you make yourself accountable, you set an example for others. This helps set an environment where entire groups or teams can become more accountable. They will look to your leadership in the future. Before you commit to the next task or agree to an assignment, think carefully about whether you’ll be able to actually do what’s being asked of you, and whether you will be able to accomplish it to the best of your ability. If people feel that they can’t rely on you, and this will affect your reputation.
- Set Goals to Help Manage Your Time:
Goals are going to help in your time management. That is, as long as you follow them and review them periodically. If you don’t manage your time correctly, you are not going to get your job done. Procrastination will put you in a position of having to account for being late on your assignments. Many people try to use excuses for when this happens. Don’t let yourself get into this position. - Find Accountability Partners:
If you work for someone else, your manager has the inherent role of being your accountability partner. She will rely on you to complete what is expected of you. If you work for yourself or are the boss, you should try to find others who will push you to get your work done. This can be a friend or family member outside your organization, or it can be a coworker. Keep in mind, even if you have a boss, taking on another accountability partner will ensure you get your work completed on time.
Taking The Right Steps To Being Accountable
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| Create goals for the next three months.
If you already have goals, review them with your manager to make sure you are on track. Ask your manager if they are challenging enough or if you need to take on more responsibilities. Try to get a commitment of reward from your manager if she believes you should take on more. |
Commit to finding an accountability partner. As mentioned before, you could choose someone within your organization and exchange roles of looking after each other’s work. Another possibility is to find someone in a trade organization that you belong to and form a partnership. This has the added benefit of introducing new ideas into the mix. Be careful not to violate any non-disclosures that you have signed.
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Learn from a recent mistake. Think back to a mistake you have made recently.
What lesson can you draw from that mistake? What actions steps did you take to make up for it? Ask yourself how you will prevent making the same mistake in the future.
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How You Can Start Being More Influential
Learning to be more influential can help you succeed in your endeavours. People will want to know more about what you are doing and will follow you. These tips will help you in becoming more influential.
- Networking:
If you aren’t building your networks, it’s time to start, especially if you are looking to be influential. Expanding your base of influence will be a great start towards that end. You never know who you come across is going to help you the most in your goals. Most everyone in your network will help, and the more you have, the better your chances of coming across others who are influential. - Reach Out to Others Who Are Influential:
When you are building your networks, consider hooking up with people who already have influence. Since you get to control who you include, be selective. It’s better to have 20 people with high influence than it is to have hundreds with little, to none. But be a friend to everyone you can, you never know who else is climbing the ladder - Offer to Help Those Influencers:
One way to build a strong network, especially with influential people, is to help them out in any way you can. At conferences, you could offer to drive them to the location. Or, you can help them set up when they are speaking, etc. This will make them notice you, and it is not something many people think to do. - Learn from Other Influencers:
When you start to develop a network of influencers, observe what they do. See how they interact with others. When you are new and don’t have many influencers on your side, you can read about other high profile people. Having direct contact is always better, but you need to start somewhere. Getting to know their stories ahead of time also gives you conversation topics to speak about. - Organize Events:
You won’t be influential if you don’t get exposure to a lot of people. A great way to accomplish this exposure is to host events and conferences. If you are on a limited budget, you can find others in your field to partner with so that the costs are distributed. Sometimes, it can be as simple as gathering people using social platforms to get the word out. Do this often to constantly expand your base. - Get Your Hands Dirty:
Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and do what it takes to get something done, whatever that something is. People will take notice when you do this. - Become the Best at What You Do:
No one can argue when you have the knowledge and the skills that others don’t have to get the job done. Make sure you are constantly learning and participating. Be the first to volunteer for new assignments, and jump out of your comfort zone to learn about the areas of business or company you are unfamiliar with. The more you know, the more you can influence others. - Become the Go-to Person:
When you increase your knowledge and skills, people will start coming to you for advice. You will become the go-to person. This will be noticed by others, including managers and other influencers. This is the stuff promotions are made of.
Taking The Right Steps
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| Commit to volunteering for new assignments at least once a month.
Seek out assignments that are not within your skill set or knowledge. Do what it takes to learn more about it. Ask many questions, especially in the beginning.
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Try to organize at least one event within the next quarter. Seek out help from people in your organization that have done this before. Try to seek out funding from the organization or form committees where the costs can be shared. You could also try to obtain funding from crowdsourcing.
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Align yourself with an influential person in your organization or community.
Ask questions and offer up your services to help them out. Don’t overextend yourself, however, as you may let them down.
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When you hold yourself personally accountable, you take ownership, both good and bad, of situations that you’re involved in. You see them through, you do your best to make things right. Over time and with experience, your skills will grow and find the right way to deal with difficult situations and difficult people. The end result will increase your integrity, and people’s good perceptions of you will grow.
Here’s To Your Becoming More Accountable And Influential!