How to take accountability

Simon Sinek notes that taking accountability takes courage and integrity, because owning up to a mistake that affects a company or your coworkers can be excruciatingly difficult 1. A few approaches make it easier:

• Focus on actions rather than identity: Leila Hormozi suggests that instead of attaching a mistake to your self-worth or sinking into shame, you focus objectively on what you did and what caused it 2. Writing down what happened helps you see it more clearly and move away from harsh self-judgment, a point James Clear makes as well 3.
• Offer a sincere apology: Saying sorry does not necessarily mean you were wrong or meant harm, it acknowledges that the words or actions came from you. The cleanest way to handle a mistake is to say sorry, drop the excuses, and put a plan in place so it does not happen again.
• Reject blame and choose ownership: Stop blaming circumstances, your past, or other people, and take ownership of your decisions, your actions, and how you respond.
• Take charge of your emotional reactions: Own and process your own emotional reactions rather than outsourcing your well-being or claiming someone else controls how you feel.