Issue 769 - "Accountability as a Privilege, Not an Obligation”


Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 13	Issue 769
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"ACCOUNTABILITY AS A PRIVILEGE, NOT AN OBLIGATION” John Wooden Video Clip (2 min. 07 sec.): Coach Terry Donahue asks Coach Wooden: "How can young people keep lifelong commitments?" Great video clip loaded with life wisdom. Micah Bushnell, a Wooden Wisdom subscriber, recently shared a perspective on accountability that is worth considering: "Accountability, to me, is not an external expectation, but an internal mindset rooted in taking ownership of the results of my actions and work. And, the understanding that others depend on me to deliver for them, also, makes accountability feel like a privilege, not an obligation." Coach Wooden’s wisdom provides a natural progression for putting that mindset into practice. It starts from within: "Discipline yourself and others won’t need to." Accountability begins when we stop needing someone else to make sure we do what we know we should do. It also means accepting responsibility when things don’t go as planned: "You may make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you start blaming someone else." Mistakes are inevitable. Blaming others is a choice. "As long as you try your best, you are never a failure. That is, unless you blame others." Accountability isn't about being perfect. It is about owning our effort, our decisions and our results. And our attention should remain where it can make a difference: "The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control, the less we will do with the things we can control." That requires honest evaluation: "Valid self-analysis means improvement." And then action: "Nothing will work unless you do." But accountability isn't only about ourselves. Our actions affect other people. "The best way to improve the team is to improve ourself." Why does improving ourselves matter? "Life is a united effort of many." We depend on others, and they depend on us. Doing our job well becomes more than a personal responsibility. It becomes a contribution. "Much can be accomplished by teamwork when no one is concerned about who gets credit." That brings us to perhaps the most important part of Micah's observation. Accountability can become a privilege when our focus shifts from what is expected of us to what we can provide for others. Coach put it simply: "Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you. You’ll be surprised at the results." Perhaps that is accountability at its best: Discipline yourself. Own your mistakes. Control what you can control. Improve yourself. Do the work. And remember that someone else is counting on you. When viewed that way, accountability isn't an obligation. It is a privilege. Click here for personal development exercise: Issue 769. Click here for Printable Poetry: Issue 769. Yours in Coaching, Craig Impelman www.woodenswisdom.com Follow @woodenswisdom	COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE Walt Whitman and Mark Twain Walt Whitman (1819–1892) "To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, Every foot of the interior swarms with the same. To me the sea is a continual miracle, The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves— the ships with men in them. What stranger miracles are there?" Mark Twain (1835–1910) "God has put something noble and good into every heart His hand created."
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