In over 20 years of being in the workforce, there is one thing I notice has been present in every company I've worked in - and that is a fear of accountability. People will (undercover of course) do any and everything to avoid looking in the mirror and acknowledging their behaviors and how it impacts themselves or others around them.
In our superficial society, image is everything, and as long as people can appear to be who they want to be, we will forever have this issue. It seems easier for these types to put energy into keeping up appearances rather than actually addressing things within themselves and will gaslight anyone who seeks to hold them accountable.
Take this article, as an example. Someone who struggles with accountability may immediately think " well, who does she think she is?" "I bet she isn't perfect either!" "You should worry about yourself first!" And so on.
How many times have you heard similar statements when holding others accountable? In the magic land of the undercover workplace, these statements are supposed to erase their accountability and project it onto you. However, in the real world, this "logic" does not hold up, and so leaders create a path of destruction and chaos as they blissfully go about ignoring their impact on the world around them.
Here's a list of 6 common behaviors of someone who lacks accountability in the workplace:
Instead of dealing with emotions of envy and insecurity, they will lash out in undercover ways like abusing their access to systems to thwart your presentations, stealing credit for your ideas, sabotaging projects, and key relationships you have, all as ways to "deal" with the anger and frustration they feel about their inadequacies.
Instead of focusing on their growth and learning from others, they prefer to put forth an image of confidence and competence, while hiding deep rooted insecurity and incompetence (not to judge, but it is what it is).
Recruiting other people to dislike or sabotage the efforts of someone they are jealous of or intimidated by (gossip, smear campaigning, etc.).
Playing the 'UNO' reverse card when you or others attempt to hold them accountable. "Well, you did it too!" "You're not perfect either!" "No, you're just perceiving it wrong!" (gaslighting). This reflects emotional instability, and in most cases I actually feel sorry for people who do this. They may have been shamed in the past or may have faced other hurdles that make them so defensive. When someone is stuck in a fixed mindset, it is truly hard for them to see anything different than their current reality, in which they feel less-than and threatened. These aren't excuses, but I can at least sympathize and understand where these types of behavior may be coming from.
Avoidance: if you've had a conversation to attempt to hold them accountable for anything, they will actively avoid you from that point moving forward. They'll do any and everything to avoid working with you again or even being in the same space, citing that you make them "uncomfortable" or that they can't be themselves around you. (Well, no you can't, lol.)
They may pretend to actually be interested in your feedback- not that they will actually take the advice, but rather as a way to learn how you think and work in order to set you up for a future failure- a failure that they will conveniently notice and be available to call you out on (in their mind, as payback for holding them accountable before).
I may be taking a light-hearted approach to this, but this is actually a serious issue not just in the workplace, but in society in general. The fear that people hold of being accountable causes all sorts of unnecessary occurrences, much like we've seen with companies like Boeing- taking shortcuts, cover-ups, and worse- just to avoid negative consequences for poor decisions.
Not only are people fearful of being held accountable, but many of us are afraid to hold others accountable. We turn the other cheek in hopes that things will just get better or that someone else will deal with it. There have been so many times I've gone to bat for people within companies who say they want better, only to be left hanging in the end when the going gets tough.
The old phrase "be the change we want to see" comes to mind, and it's imperative that we all take accountability in creating the types of environments we want to work in, which requires courage and standing up to the status quo. Next week's article will talk about self-empowerment and how this can drive us to make decisions not from a place of fear and intimidation, but from a place of strength and intention.
Stay tuned. In the meantime, I'd like to hear your thoughts- do you fear accountability? How do you manage it? How can you stand up for what is right in the workplace?
Hi! I'm Nicole, an organizational consultant and personal coach, who is passionate about inspiring the changes our society needs for all to thrive. Using lessons learned from my own experiences and challenges, I hope to help people within organizations by creating mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy workplaces for all. Check out the other resources on this site for more ways to do just that!
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