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Clearly defining responsibility is certainly essential, but encouraging people to go a step further to get personally involved will secure better results every time. That’s where taking ownership and establishing accountability comes into play. The notion of “taking accountability” naturally sounds more significant than “having responsibility”—you’re making the choice to go beyond what you’re responsible for, carrying with it an idea of ownership, involvement, and engagement.  In a workplace culture where this positive and empowering version of accountability is embraced, you’ll find that:  

• People at all levels take ownership for the strategic results of the organization. 

• Balls do not get dropped and projects do not slip through the cracks. 

• People think differently about the job that needs to get done. 

• People break-down barriers and collaborate to achieve the right results.  

This blog article talks about a recent personal journey of establishing ownership and responsibility for my actions and how I am moving forward.   

Likewise, I found some insights in the eBook, Responsiblity vs. Accountability particularly helpful when establishing my own version of ownership and taking responsiblity for my actions:  

1. Obtaining the perspective of others 

2. Communicating openly and candidly 

3. Asking for and offering feedback 

4. Hearing and saying the hard things to see reality 

5. Being personally invested 

6. Learning from both successes and failures 

7. Ensuring my work is aligned with Key Results 

8. Acting on the feedback I receive 

9. Constantly asking “What else can I do?” 

10. Collaborating across functional boundaries 

11. Creatively dealing with obstacles 

12. Taking the necessary risks 

13. Doing the things I  say I will do 

14. Staying “accountable” by not blaming others 

15. Tracking progress with proactive and transparent reporting 

16. Building an environment of trust