“To me, accountable means that I have to be trustworthy and leading myself. Or, when you know that you did something wrong, you go and confess that you were the one because you know that was the right thing to do.”
– Fourth Grade Student
ACCOUNTABLE
“Being accountable to me means that you are responsible in remembering things and that you are honest about things.”
– Seventh Grade Student
“Being accountable means establishing a reputation of being good to rely on; someone who does what they promise to do.”
– Ninth Grade Student
Use the information in this section to help you introduce the “accountable” attribute to students. You can use the question stem “How does this attribute make you a better leader?” to start a discussion with your students and to check for comprehension (see the Additional Resources section in this chapter for more information to further your personal understanding).
Explaining “Accountable” to Students
We all make choices about how to act when we make mistakes. What do you do when you have made a mistake? How do you react when someone calls you out? Are you willing to admit when you are wrong? Accountable means taking responsibility for your actions, even if there might be negative consequences. Accountability means being willing to be vulnerable and courageous enough to admit the truth when you are in the wrong. By being willing to admit that you have made a mistake, you set an example for others, thus modelling strong leadership behavior.
What “Accountable” Looks Like
Self-aware leaders:
• recognize when they have made a mistake
• can be counted on to tell the truth regardless of the circumstances
• earn the trust and respect of others
• admit mistakes and avoid blaming others
• are transparent
• seek and accept feedback and put it to use
• are assertive and confident
• are secure enough to be vulnerable
• set a positive personal example by taking responsibility
• do not get defensive
• do not make excuses
• can admit when they have made mistakes
What Gets in the Way?
If you struggle with being accountable, you risk losing the trust of others; they might not believe they can count on you. If you are not willing to take responsibility for your actions, others may not want to work with you. Review the following list and note the items that might be keeping you from being accountable for your actions.
• You avoid admitting when you have made a mistake.
• You are unable to recognize when you are wrong.
• You are unwilling to accept feedback.
• You tend to blame your mistakes or shortcomings on others.
• You feel threatened when you make yourself vulnerable.
• You respond defensively when others notice a mistake you made.
• You let others accept responsibility for your mistakes.
• You overestimate what you are able to accomplish.
• You are not as forthcoming or honest with others as you could be.
• You make excuses and/or cover up your mistakes.
Being able to recognize and admit when you are wrong or have made a mistake can help you become a better and more trustworthy social-emotional leader.
Suggestions for Improving “Accountable”
Work with your students to discuss and establish some ways to build competency in this attribute. Below is a list to help support this exercise. Feel free to develop your own strategies or modify these suggestions.
You may also consider doing an activity with your students (see Activity Center in this chapter for suggestions) or asking them to write about the attribute (see Journal Prompts in this chapter for suggestions) to help build student understanding.
In conjunction with your students, figure out how you are going to support each other as a group or class to build competency in this leadership attribute.
• Start small. Think of a situation where you have not been accountable for your actions in the past. (For example, making an excuse for not completing your homework.) What could you have done differently?
• Role play. Practice with a partner what it is like to be accountable. (Example: “I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework. I completely forgot it was due. Is there anything I can do to make it up?”)
• Consider the consequences. What specifically can you gain when you take responsibility for your actions? What can you lose if you don’t?
• Seek feedback. Ask a partner what they would do to take accountability in an uncomfortable situation.
• Take action. Being accountable isn’t easy. It takes a certain amount of bravery. Dare to be courageous enough to admit when you’re wrong. Do it!
• Reflect and debrief. Meet with your partner to discuss what happened when you were accountable.
Here are some suggestions for activities that may be modified to fit your context and the students with whom you are working.
• Book introduction. Find a book to read with students that has a character who either demonstrates accountability or who would have benefitted from being more accountable, and have students discuss or journal about the character’s behavior (see the Suggested Books section of this chapter for books that could be used for this activity).
• Accountability threats. Ask students to identify reasons that can keep people from being accountable for their actions. Have them find a partner and discuss a situation in which they could have been more accountable for their actions, and what they could have done differently.
• Accountability stories. Have students think about a situation (fictional or real) where a choice has to be made about being accountable or not. Write two stories (or comic strips, videos, plays, etc.), one in which the character takes responsibility for their actions, and one in which the character does not. In each story, focus on the impact of this decision.
• Accountability in the news. Have students find a newspaper or journal article (online or print) in which a person does or does not demonstrate accountability. Share and discuss in small groups why they selected the article and the possible implications of the accountability choices described in the article.
• Accountability in social media. Have students reflect on ways to be accountable in various social media outlets. Have students give examples of how to be accountable for their actions on social media. Ask students for examples where social media detracts from accountability. Ask students to share and discuss in small groups how they can be more accountable in their online lives.
• Noticing accountability. For a specific amount of time (a few days, a week, two weeks) have students notice all the moments when accountability comes up. Have students capture these moments on their phones or by writing in a journal/notebook. Ask students to notice what was taking place and how they felt when it was happening. Have students discuss their findings in small or large groups. Ask them to look for themes from the situations or about how they felt. Ask students to reflect on the behaviors of the people in the situations: do they agree with the choices that were made, or do they think there are different choices that could have been made to demonstrate greater accountability?
Journal Prompts
Choose one or more of the journal prompts appropriate for the age level you work with. Feel free to modify or extend the prompt. Give students time to reflect on the questions in a personal journal. To extend the exercise, ask students to share their reflections with a peer or small group.
• Think of a situation in which you were not as accountable as you could have been. What led to that decision? What can you do to regain the other person’ trust?
• Reflect on stories you have read. Describe a situation in which a character’s accountability benefits themselves and/or others. How might you relate this situation to something in your life?
• Think of someone who is always accountable, regardless of the situation. What qualities set that person apart from others? How might you model some of those qualities?
• Have you ever been in a situation where someone else blamed you for something they should have been accountable for? What did it feel like? What do you wish the person would have done?
• Why might it be scary, or make you uncomfortable, to admit when you are wrong or have made a mistake?
Integrating the Attribute into Your Curriculum
Choose an activity from your planning guide or syllabus. After your students complete the activity, relate the activity back to the “accountable” attribute with a debriefing conversation. Below are suggested questions. Choose or modify questions based on your students’ developmental level, your activity, and your context.
This debrief can take the form of a full-group discussion. You might consider giving students time to reflect on their answers with partners or in small groups before asking them to share responses with the larger group. Alternatively, you may decide to ask students to work in small groups to share their responses on flip charts, and then have a gallery walk where students walk around the room and read what other students have written, potentially adding their own comments or thoughts.
• How did the activity help you understand what “accountable” means?
• How did you work on being accountable during this activity?
• How did other students demonstrate being accountable during the activity?
• What does it mean to be accountable?
• Why is it important to be accountable?
• How can being accountable make you a better leader?
• How can a lack of accountability impact leadership?
• How can accountability be developed?
• What are some ways you could practice being accountable in the future?
• How will you demonstrate being accountable in your interactions with others?
• What impact can increasing accountability have on you?
• Identify a person, past or present, who demonstrates being accountable. What specific actions demonstrate this person being accountable?
• Identify a book character who demonstrates being accountable. What specific actions of this character demonstrate being accountable?
Questions to Assess Understanding
Consider giving the following questions to students to determine if you need to spend more time explaining this attribute.
• What does it mean to be accountable? Give an example of someone you know who shows accountability. How does this person demonstrate accountability?
• What are three things you are going to work on in order to become more accountable?
Suggested Books to Introduce “Accountable”
The books listed below can be used to deepen younger students’ understanding of the “accountable” attribute.
• I Like Me! by N. Carlson
• The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game by S. Berenstain & J. Berenstain
• But It’s Not My Fault by J. Cook
• Can People Count on Me? by R. Nelson
• Do I Have To? Kids Talk About Responsibility by N. Loewen
• Dog in Charge by K.L. Going
• I Am Responsible! by D. Parker
• “I’ll Do It!” Taking Responsibility by B. Moses & M. Gordon
• Peace Week in Miss Fox’s Class by E. Spinelli
• Stanley and the Class Pet by B. Saltzberg
This section provides additional places to look for help and advice to develop your personal knowledge, as an adult, about this attribute.
Brown, C. B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are. Center City, MN: Hazelden.
Brown, C. B. (2012). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. New York, NY: Gotham Books.
Galindo, L. (2009). The 85% solution: How personal accountability guarantees success—no nonsense, no excuses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Klann, G. (2007). Building character: Strengthening the heart of good leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Miller, J. G., & Miller, K. G. (2016). Raising accountable kids: How to be an outstanding parent using the power of personal responsibility. New York, NY: TarcherPerigee.
Palanski, M. E., Cullen, K. L., Gentry, W. A., & Nichols, C. M. (2014). Virtuous leadership: Exploring the effects of leader courage and behavioral integrity on leader performance and image. Journal of Business Ethics, 132(2), 297-310.