Dancing With Accountability

Just when we thought the Ryan Lochte circus was over, along comes the “Dancing With the Stars” debacle!  Public embarrassment.  Security guard takedowns.  Vicious shouting matches.  When you book Ryan Lochte these days, controversy and spectacle comes with the territory.  And as much as I think the protestors need to get a life (Anti-Lochte T-shirts?  Really?), he did open himself up to criticism for his behavior.  But why was there such a visceral reaction?  Yes, his bogus story  of a robbery in Rio was an international embarrassment for the United States.  But more than anything, the entire incident demonstrated a lack of accountability.

Can you imagine if he initially just came out and admitted:

“I was partying.  I acted like a knucklehead.  I’m sorry for my boorish behavior.  Now please let me get on with my ballroom dancing career!”

While people might have questioned the legitimacy of his new vocation, they probably would have let him dance in peace!

But there is a silver lining.  Ryan’s behavior did provide yet another lesson for The Resilient Worker!  Couldn’t we all use a little more accountability in our work and personal lives?

In our work lives, how often do we blame others when things don’t go our way?

“”I would have sold more if the company had created a quality product!”

“I would have gotten the promotion if management had a clue!”

“The client would have made more money if he had listened to my advice!”

“My company would be doing so much better if the economy wasn’t in the tank!”

Sometimes, we fail because of circumstances beyond our control.  But more often, we need to take a good, long look in the mirror.  Perhaps we are not working as hard as we need to on our sales approach.  Perhaps our interview skills need some polishing.  Perhaps we need to do a better job convincing our clients to follow our approach.  Perhaps it is a lack of execution, and not the economy, that is holding our company back.  We have to proactively manage our career path.  Taking accountability and owning up to our shortcomings is the first step toward creating a more lucrative and satisfying work life.

The same is true in our personal lives.  How often do we take responsibility for our actions (or inactions)?:

“I’m not going to say I’m sorry. I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“If I admit to that, I might get in trouble.  Let someone else take the heat!”

“It’s impossible to make new friends in this town.  Everybody already knows each other!”

“My children are falling behind in school.  Their teachers need to step it up!”

Of course not everything is our fault and social situations can be challenging.  But regardless of the circumstances, there are times when we need to apologize.  There are times when we need to step forward and admit our mistakes.  There are times when we need to be more proactive about establishing bonds in the community.  There are times when we need to sit down with our children and help them read and study.  Life does not happen to us.  We are not victims of someone else’s decisions.  We need to take accountability for our own actions and face the consequences.

We fail all the time.  But we aren’t a failure until we blame someone else.  –Bum Phillips

This is especially true when we suffer a major setback.  Financial crisis.  Destructive decisions.  Job loss.  Divorce.  Blaming someone else for these situations does not help us move forward.  Burying our heads in the sand will not help improve our circumstances.  Resiliency starts with accountability.  If we admit there is a problem, we can work on remedying the situation.  If we are honest with ourselves and with others, we can start the process of re-building.  There is nothing we have done that cannot be fixed.  There is hope on the horizon if we are willing to be accountable and work on our shortcomings.

There are so many positive things in our lives.  We have so much to be thankful for on a daily basis.  It is time to start living with purpose and conviction.  Understand that we will make mistakes along the way.  And know that is okay to fail as long as we take accountability for our actions and decisions.

Until next week, keep on dancing!