4 Ways to Increasing Accountability (and Happiness!) at Work

People who are personally accountable have an internal motivation and desire to succeed, no matter what obstacles stand in their way. Employees who exhibit this quality are naturally the happiest and most engaged. In fact, the same behaviors that drive engagement are the exact same behaviors that drive happiness. The happiest employees are the ones who realize that they directly impact their own results and circumstances. They don’t view external factors or challenges as a threat. Rather, they can take full ownership of both achievements and failures because they started with a wholehearted commitment.  You see, owning your outcomes will hurt if you aren’t fully committed to your job in the first place. 

For some, this mindset comes naturally. For others, not so much. Here are four factors to help increase personal accountability and happiness in 2016:

1. Commitment
   Being committed means buying in readily to what is asked of you, even if it isn’t in your immediate job description. It shows your willingness to fulfill a larger role for the good of the organization.
2. Resilience
   Made a mistake? Bypass the pity party and make an effort to bounce back quickly from setbacks. You are more capable than you realize.
3. Ownership
   Having full ownership over your actions and results involves the ability to embrace the good, the bad and the ugly. Recognize the positive aspects of what you contribute at work and remain open to receiving feedback on areas of improvement.
4. Continuous Learning
   Making mistakes is never fun, but accountable people don’t view them as failures. Rather, they view them as teachable moments that will help make them better in the future.

 

For more information on how to achieve greater accountability at work, check out my latest article on Entrepreneur.com.

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