Iâve just got back from some time with family and I feel like Iâve either been driving, eating or drinking! (not all at the same time!), so I thought Iâd start the first in a new series of âMike wrestled with this idea for a bit, so now heâs teaching you as thatâs the best way for him to internalise the idea.â
And who knows, you may learn something to (or, Iâm teaching you to suck eggs).
Accountability vs responsibility
Itâs common for people to conflate these two terms or even mix them up, so here I am to help you not do those things.
đ Accountable
When youâre accountable for something the buck, literally, stops with you. Itâs unlikely that youâll have shared accountability as you are the one who will âanswer forâ whatever it is youâre accountable to. (Also, shared accountability can lead to finger pointing).
You shoulder the burden of the work you are given, you are accountable for it. You can make others accountable, but only with their consent.
Being accountable means you have to âaccount forâ or âgive an account ofâ the thing. It doesnât necessarily mean you have to actually do the thing, but youâll face the consequences of a bad outcome of the thing.
Being accountable usually happens after the thing.
Results focused.
đ Responsible
Weâre all responsible for picking up our rubbish, or washing up our coffee cups in the break room (or, your own kitchen). Weâre responsible for answering emails promptly and acting professionally. Weâre responsible for contributing to the successful running of the company by doing our work accurately and well. But weâre not accountable for the success of the company - that lies with the big cheeses.
If, on the other hand, you shirk your responsibilities and do a bad job of something, then you are accountable for the consequences of that behaviour.
Multiple people can be responsible for a task, or set of tasks, but they cannot be given a responsibility, it must be assumed. Someone most take responsibility for a thing (which your employees do when they sign a contract, or agree to abide by a code of conduct for example).
Being responsible usually happens during the thing.
Task focused.
An example
A manager is accountable for their team in delivering a project. The manager is responsible for ensuring the team has the resources and tools they need to deliver the project.
A team member is responsible for doing their tasks as part of that project. When they do not do that, they are accountable for their behaviour.
A team member can take accountability for a particular piece of work being done. For example, if they choose to lead a working group and ensure they meet and deliver an agreed output.
đȘ End Post
Was this useful? I found it useful to think and write about this to get my head around it, so youâve all been a wonderful audience, thank you!
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