ACCOUNTABILITY Why is it important to admit your mistakes instead of blaming others? How can accountability help build trust in relationships or teamwork?
I think humans are created to be self-defensive. I also have that self-defense mechanism as my shock absorber. Sometimes, unexpectedly, something will come up, and as humans we tend to, first of all, defend ourselves or even attack the attacker before we renege to take a critical look at the scenario, come to terms with reality on the ground before further reaction to the issue.
For example, looking at the scenario painted, it is a typical behaviour of humans. For me, I think it might not be the right thing to do since we need to be sincere and mutually show trust and integrity in all we do.
One of our employees lost his job for denying something sinister he had done before the managing director. It happened that we reviewed the policies for disposing of factory maintenance hub scraps. We also obtained their consent to the new policy and their sign-off copies filed in their files.
On that fateful day, the loss of an item at the factory was exposed by the investigation team, who also revealed that some maintenance personnel are selling company scraps. They were called for a one-to-one feedback session, and they admitted and pleaded for pardon. During that employee's turn, he lied about the sales and blamed the maintenance manager for approving the sale for them. That act led to the summary dismissal notice.
Therefore, admitting our mistakes saves us from impending doom, embarrassment, loss of valuable connections, and opportunities. It is good to accept our mistakes and plead for pardon rather than cover up red flags and a wrong attitude. As the saying goes, pregnancy cannot be hidden; hence, every wrong attitude will always be exposed in the long run.
Nevertheless, some of the benefits will include synergy, teamwork, trust building, and integrity. Additionally, being a team member leads to learning and unlearning, sharing knowledge, and learning to admit our mistakes. Once trust is established, a certain level of bond and flow follows, which brings leverage for drastic growth and development in a team or relationship.
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