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| | Life Lesson #38: Accountability
Above and beyond responsibility...
Accountability: (1) Responsibility to someone or for some activity.
(2) Liability or answerability for something.
Accountability defined is being responsible to someone or for something. I’ve hit upon this word frequently lately when working with athletes making the jump from 8th grade into high school or from high school into college. At both of these major steps, an athlete must step up his or her personal accountability – in sports and in other parts of life.
The term accountability’s closest synonym is responsibility; a relatively easy term for an athlete to understand. They get the concept of responsibility: “I am in charge of getting this project or task done. And if I do not, I am the one who will be punished or lose out of any reward.” Responsibility is important and extremely relevant to baseball, but the term accountability presents a deeper challenge to the advancing athlete.
The concept of accountability is the effort to get the project or task done when the first, second and third tries all go unsuccessful. It’s the unwillingness to quit, the determination to find a solution, or the desire to complete a task – think responsibility 2.0! In conversations with young athletes, I use the analogy of a professional player and manager’s relationships to the team owner. A player is responsible for getting his or her work done. A manager, in turn, is accountable for the responsibilities of that player being completed. While he not directly responsible for the player’s running and throwing, the manager will be held accountable for that player completing his tasks. Being accountable is synonymous with being responsible, but there is a significant difference.
Accountability in Competition
As an example that can be easily understood by a young athlete, let’s use a common situation during the Team Building Seminar. One of the most powerful (and popular) events in the Team Training Package, the Team Building Seminar involves a group of athletes put to the challenge of achieving tasks, problem-solving and completing difficult drills. Designed to build chemistry and cohesion among group members while challenging the team’s ability, determination and will, the Team Building exercises involve all facets physical and mental performance. The group is presented with one specific task, explained the rules and available parts or tools, and left alone to accomplish the goal. It’s a very powerful experience for coaches, athletes and instructors, as new lessons are learned at each event.
The concept of accountability is an important player character trait and a great teaching point when working through our Team Building Seminars. Through the struggles and frustrations of the group, varying levels of individual player accountability is always observed and pointed out as one of the most important lessons to be learned.
The drills involved with the Team Building Seminar are chosen because they are not easy. They are designed to force athletes to think out of the box and are not intended for success on the first try. It’s very interesting to watch which athletes “check out” after early failure, and which athletes turn their focus towards finding a solution. Often times a snapshot of an athlete’s life experiences away from sports, these adverse situations are designed to show how an athlete will react under the stress of a challenging experience. Instructors and coaches are looking for athletes that will not quit, that have a strong desire to succeed and a fire associated with failure. Not only is he showing determination and a competitive will to succeed, he is holding himself accountable to the task at hand – he WILL find a way to accomplish the goal.
At this point in the seminar, the instructor offers a hint or piece of advice to assist with the task and shed light on possible solutions. Then, it’s time to watch the group again and observe team, and individual, tendencies. There’s so much to be learned about character during this specific time, and those athletes that hold themselves accountable inevitably become more and more vocal. It’s as if the term accountable also comes with it a label of leader. Being a team sport, this athlete is showing a responsibility greater than his own performance. He is holding himself accountable for the responsibilities of each and every athlete… much like the manager described earlier. In each drill, a single athlete may have different responsibilities ranging from building a card house, holding the corner of a rope shape, or standing apart from the group and directing traffic. But as with any team concept, the group has a goal. And while a specific participant may not be responsible for each and every role, the champion holds himself accountable for the performance of the group and finds a way to push everyone towards success and accomplishment. Responsibility can and will change, accountability does not!
Accountability – another intangible ingredient in the composition of a winner. Do you think the term accountable is ever mentioned when describing Derek Jeter, Labron James or Tom Brady? Most definitely! Champions such as these hold themselves accountable for not only their own actions, but often times the actions of their teammates as well. |
