As usual, I attended this weeks #careerchat, held each week via Twitter at 1pm EDT/10am PDT. Today’s topic was accountability and here is some of what I had to say. I join #careerchat under my @careertips Twitter account.
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- today at 1EDT/10 PDT. Join in via .
- What is accountability?
- Taking responsibility for your action and work and being held responsible for the work you are assigned.
- You also need to hold yourself responsible for your actions, your goals, you achievements and your behavior
- Additionally, accountability also means doing what is best for YOUR career, not just your job.
- Your job description merely describes the minimums of your responsibility
- You have to go well beyond these minimums to thrive and grow in your career
- In some cases, blame DOES need to be assigned as this person is accountable for the poor work/no work they do.
- Admit mistakes AND repair mistakes. Also very important
- Accountability must be equally applied throughout company structure. People inherently sense unfairness when not.
- Remember that being a team player only works if the other members of your team believe it too. Don’t be a doormat/fall guy.
- Setting clear/agreed upon goals and holding workers (and managers) to them.
- I find using tech tools to monitor/update/manage status to be highly preferable to F-2-F mtings. More productive
- Everyone should be able to see status of any project at a glance.
- Simple rule for accountability is: Do what you say you will, when you say you will or renegotiate the agreement.
- Most F-2-F meeting s devolve into any number of useless endeavors. Also status out of date when mtg is over
- What in status? Whatever it takes to be clear — a combination of all types of status
- Projects often come off the rails, because someone isn’t performing and no one knows until too late
- The problem being that not everyone understands professionalism. You will always find those people in every company
- Goals are useful yes, but sometimes we all need to ask WHY a project is moving forward. Good goals on bad project go nowhere.
- Excuses for ducking accountability: I didn’t know. It was THEIR fault. No one told me. It’s not my job.
- Accountability for something, without being given responsibility (or power) to manage it is one of most frustrating work experience.
- No follow through on projects can also point out the perhaps project wasn’t that important and shouldn’t have been pursued at all
- Unfinished projects are a complete waste and employees recognize it as such. Enough such projects and employees go elsewhere
- People want to see their work implemented and respected. Dead end projects provide neither. Horrible moral killer
- Great book on meetings – “Read before out next meeting” -
- There will always be those who try to avoid responsibility. Identify and avoid them at all costs.
Get a jolt of support this morning with this short video – 29 ways to stay creative. I do most of them, but could certainly do better at others.
What are you going to create today?
29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.
I am writing a blog post each day as part of the #Trust30 project on my personal blog, My Word. Today’s prompt and response also relates well to you and your career, so I wanted to share it here. — Douglas
Today’s prompt:
Your Personal Message by Eric Handler
To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
(Author: Eric Handler)
My message: You are responsible for your own happiness and capable of achieving it!
Too many of us think ourselves trapped in convention, trapped in society, trapped in poverty. Yes, there are burdens we all carry to some degree, but we are inventive, creative and resilient beings who have the will and the tools to make life special. Don’t give up trying for a better life. You will never reach perfection, but each step you make along the way will be worth so much.
#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing.
[Tip] If your thoughts or ideas are stagnating, it probably means you need to get out and interact with more/new people.
Receive more tips like this – Follow CareerTips on Twitter
How do you cope with daily fear of unemployment?
When working as an “at will” employee with no contract, there is a constant level of uncertainty and stress that any day could be your last day.
My answer…
?
One method is to do everything you can, every day, to prepare for the eventuality of being unemployed. Then, forget about it.
Worrying about being unemployed can be as bad as actually being unemployed. Making preparations can go a long way towards easing your worries and providing “peace of mind” regardless of what might happen in your career.
It happens to everyone on occasion so you won’t be wasting time or money to prepare today. Put money aside. Reduce your debt or keep it as low as possible. Learn how to live frugally, yet happily.
Many of the things we “want” in life aren’t really needs. Confusing the two can lead to much trouble. Find what makes you happiest and you will be focusing more on the “needs” side of that equation.
Read more answers to this question
Follow CareerTips on Twitter for more tips.
Follow CareerTips on Twitter for more tips.
I seem to be coming across a lot of information on change lately. Here is a Slideshare deck on that topic which I found to be quite on-target.
I have been reading John C. Maxwell’s books for years and have found many useful ideas and much useful advice. This small volume seems like a condensation of many of his larger books and while that might seem like a criticism, it is in fact a strength.
How Successful People Think is a great book to have around for reviewing the concepts found in other Maxwell books. After reading the longer books, sometimes you just need a reminder, a nudge to help you put those tool back into practice. This book would be perfect to keep close at hand when life and work starts to feel a little overwhelming. After flipping through a few pages, you are sure to get back on track. If you need more help, you can always re-read the more comprehensive books.
You can find more books by John C. Maxwell
, including Thinking for a Change, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, and Developing the Leader Within You via Amazon.com or in The WelchWrite Bookstore.
OnlineCareers.net has included my CareerTips Twitter Account in their blog post, 100 Twitter Feeds to Help you Land a Job Right Out of School.
Whether you’re about to graduate from a traditional college or finishing up at an online school, you’re probably thinking about how you’re going to get a job once you graduate. The job market is not what it used to be, and you’ll need a full arsenal of tools to find the right position for you. Here, we’ve collected 100 Twitter feeds that can help you in your post-graduation job search.
Get the entire list here – 100 Twitter Feeds to Help you Land a Job Right Out of School
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