From the Principal’s Office to the Playground
Photo by Pixabay
“We have a deeply held association between accountability and punishment — instead of considering it a tool to help people unlock their highest self.”
— Ron Carucci, Harvard Business Review
In the early stages of the Civil War, things were not going well for Union forces in the East, as seen in the failed Peninsula Campaign in Virginia. General McClellan blamed his defeats on not having enough men to succeed. Growing frustration and anger in the North over these losses began to focus on Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War. Amid public outcry and calls to fire Stanton, Lincoln found himself under immense pressure.
Shortly after promoting General Henry Halleck to General-in-Chief of the Union Army, replacing McClellan — a decision largely supported by the public — Lincoln publicly defended the embattled Stanton. Standing on the Capitol steps before a massive crowd (one of the largest assemblies ever at the time), Lincoln opened by saying that he rarely addressed the public unless he believed he had something of value to offer. He continued, stating, “There is something that needs to be said, and it is unlikely that anyone else could say it better. We have heard someone else being blamed for something I did myself.”
Responding to the accusation that Stanton had withheld troops from McClellan, Lincoln explained that every available soldier had been sent. He declared, “The Secretary of War is not to blame for failing to provide what he did not have to give. I believe he is a brave and able man, and as justice requires, I take upon myself what has been charged against him.” Lincoln’s words, met with thunderous applause and widespread newspaper coverage, immediately ended the campaign against Stanton.
[A Team of Rivals, by Doris Goodwin]
This moment in history inspires me as a representation of true accountability.
Recently, I had the opportunity to present on the topic of accountability to an executive group. I wanted to challenge the traditional association of accountability with blame and fault, which is so ingrained in our organizations, and reframe it as a source of freedom. Accountability as freedom is not an action but a state of being. When we begin to understand ourselves as accountable for “everything in my world,” we unlock true freedom. This requires a significant shift in mindset.
Science tells us that we exist at a vibrational level that gives us the mass and constitution we recognize as “our body.” In reality, we are composed largely of air, as is water. Embracing this idea also requires a major shift in perspective.
When something or someone impacts us, our natural reaction is to attribute the cause to external factors—“That happened because of them…” However, the true source of impact is internal, not external. This shift in thinking is critical. The impact we feel is a reaction based on internal emotions, yet we tend to look outward for explanations. This often leads to blame or fault, and sometimes a sense of victimization.
Ron Carucci explains it well in Harvard Business Review: “The fundamental problem with accountability is that it now involves little more than the process of accounting. The scorekeeping nature of this process yields a built-in negativity bias, where leaders reflexively hunt for shortfalls [external], and the tallying usually ends with a forced categorization [blame or fault]—a rating system of numbers or labels, sometimes stack-ranking employees against their peers.”
The true power of accountability lies in recognizing that the moment we become aware of it, we are at the center of our universe. In more practical terms, anything that happens in “my world” is something I have some accountability for. At the very least, I am accountable for how I choose to respond.
It’s important to distinguish between responding and reacting. Responding is a conscious choice, while reacting is often an unconscious reflex. When we place the cause of something that impacts us solely on external circumstances, we miss the opportunity to identify the true source of the impact, leading us back to blame and fault — both unproductive responses. The real impact occurs as an internal experience.
We are universally connected, and every moment brings signals that we experience internally. By placing causes externally, we dull our awareness of these internal signals, make less informed decisions, misunderstand our place in the world, and dilute our sense of accountability. I have some level of accountability for everything that happens in my world. While I’m unsure if Lincoln understood the concept of universal connection, he certainly understood accountability as a way of being.
“We are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson
Fundamental #23: PRACTICE RECOVERY
When mistakes or errors in judgment happen, own it. Communicate to the appropriate parties, acknowledge your accountability, and set corrective steps in motion. Get back in the game quickly.
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