TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability is the act of taking full responsibility for one's actions and inactions. It is the willingness to take charge of all that is assigned to you without incentive, pleading and prompting to improve competence and commitment. Individuals who exhibit accountability characteristics to tasks show certain traits like problem-solving, ethical behaviors, honesty, transparency, and responsibility-taking. This set of individuals are ready to recognize and discuss their work-related challenges as well as personal challenges, set and achieve their goals, and improve their general work performance. They are always able to justify their actions and adopt corrective measures.

Accountability is a skill that helps build trust in relationships, eliminate toxicity, and boost performance levels. So what does it look like when someone is constantly avoiding taking accountability and responsibility for their actions? People who avoid taking responsibility for their actions are indifferent to constructive criticism . When approached, they may become fiercely defensive, deflect all criticisms, divert blame to someone else, and constantly defend their vulnerabilities. All consequences of lack of accountability and responsibility-taking.

CONS of avoiding taking accountability 

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  Individuals may lose the respect of others and even lose their self-respect if continually giving excuses and avert being accountable for their actions
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  Lack of accountability taking diminishes trust and dependability, creating a gap between partners, friends and breaching bonds.
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  These people may even lose their sense of purpose and value in relationships
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  There is a higher risk of experiencing increased emotional suffering and pain due to this type of avoidance, which is why it is essential always to take responsibility and accountability for one's actions
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  It may reduce one's self-respect and self esteem.
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  Avoiding responsibilities implies rejecting the power to grow and learn from preventable mistakes.
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  It makes one self-dependent 

PROS of accepting accountability 

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  Taking responsibility and accountability for your actions shows the level of respect a person has for their colleagues, friends, or family members. It means that you are a dependable person that is willing to help others improve themselves whilst you yourself grow and expand.
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  It also helps prevent you from making the same mistakes you made earlier, thereby saving time and improving your ability to make conscious and healthier decisions in life. You can shape yourself to be a better person through the lessons learnt and make positive changes.
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  It increases the chances of success as goals are aligned, expectations are worked on, and you're able to put in optimal efforts to achieve results. 
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  Taking responsibility for your actions implies that you are trustworthy. You can be relied upon to accept the blame of what you have done and take the necessary steps to fix the situation.
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  Because you're constantly acknowledging your mistakes and you're able to learn from them, it’ll improve your confidence and approach to problem-solving.
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  It increases the general respect we receive as well as our self-respect.
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  Accepting responsibilities improves our precision; that is, we make choices ourselves and can act on them
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  It helps in building a more prosperous, trustable, and satisfying life
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  Taking responsibility also helps to substantially improve your general relationships with others’. 

Why is it essential always to take responsibility and accountability for one's actions? Accepting accountability is the intentional effort aimed at improving oneself through personal growth. Accountability-taking helps to improve trust, respect, which goes a long way to help strengthen our relationships. Taking accountability enhances our ability to reach goals, whilst it’s avoidance substantially reduces one's ability to grow and ultimately lowers self-esteem. Let’s stop the blame game and start taking accountability!