Responsibility and Accountability
Two words are RESPONSIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY. These two words are often used interchangeably; however, they are NOT interchangeable.
Responsibility can be, and often is, shared. Many people are responsible to deliver a certain task or goal in your. Your boss (your sponsor) was responsible for bringing you into the business, but it doesn't stop there. In fact, the dictionary defines sponsor as "One who assumes responsibility for some other person or thing".
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Your boss is also responsible for helping to make sure you are properly trained, and that you receive all the necessary coaching, mentoring, and support as you begin your career at your new company. You, in turn, are also responsible to everyone you manage in your business. Every person in your company is responsible for conducting themselves professionally in introducing the products and business to your customers.
Accountability, on the other hand, CANNOT be shared. We often hear the term "shared responsibility", but there is no such thing as "shared accountability". One could define accountability as the "ultimate responsibility".
The thirtythird U.S. President Harry S. Truman was famous for his quote,
"The Buck Stops Here".
That is probably the clearest and most well-known statements of accountability ever made, and it leaves no doubt in one's mind as to where the ultimate responsibility lies.
Many people are responsible for your individual success in your business, but only one person is accountable for your success, and that person is YOU! The "Buck" stops with you.
Every one of us deals with numerous obstacles in our business: sceptical prospects, competitive companies, non-committed people in our organisations, and simply just not having enough hours in the day to be able to do everything we want to. We could go on for a long time listing dozens of obstacles, and we have heard or experienced many of them at one time or another. But if we blame one of these obstacles for our lack of success, then we’ve given up our accountability.
In fact, were Harry S. Truman here today, he'd say that you're "passing the buck". As we discussed earlier, no one can share accountability. However, it is our responsibility to help the others in our team to focus on their business. And the best way to do that is not to tell them what you are going to do for them, but, rather, ASK them a few questions.
Here are some examples of a few that you should consider:
What are your written goals you need to achieve?
What obstacles do you feel have held you back from reaching your goals?
What is the single most important thing that you can do to help the situation?
What is the single most important thing that I, as your manager can do to help you?
James Pope, The Training Expert