Accountability
What does it mean to be accountable? This question has come up several times as of late. We talk about it a great deal at work. Members of management expect agents to be accountable for all the training they go through, all the information that is relayed to them via email, knowing when to take their breaks and lunches, how many attendance points they have, who their supervisors are, making sure trades go through, and much, much more. At times it seems to be a little overwhelming. Especially when several changes in policy are announced over a short period of time. Many agent have difficulty remember what the new policy verses what the old policy was. When they go in to effect and how it is supposed to be advised.
Yet, after all is said and done, management still expects us to be accountable. We must answer for what we do every day. In order that they might know we are accountable, they have devised several procedures to help track us or help us track ourselves.
In turn, management is also expected to do the same thing. They are then tracked and asked to give account of themselves to corporate officers, who in turn have to report to vice presidents, who report to executive officers and so on and so forth. It gets to be a pretty messy ordeal. Stress levels go up and down each month when one is called to report on his/her accountability.
I have always wondered about this. If we were to all just take responsibility for ourselves and the things that are required of us, we would not have to have this check and balance program. Everyone would know what they are supposed to do and do it. However, I find that many of us, myself include, get caught up in watching what other people are doing or not doing and trying to make sure they are doing it while forgetting to do what we were supposed to do.
I learned great lesson about this several years ago and need to keep reminding myself about it. One of my uncle related a story about getting a job. He was promised payment upon completion of the job. When he had completed the job, payment did not come. He started to stew about it. He was letting the resentment consume his every thought and action. When his father noticed this, he sat down with my uncle and asked him what was going on. The story was retold. My grandfather looked my uncle in the eye and asked, Did you do was you were asked to do? My uncle replied in the affirmative. Then my grandfather said, let your employer worry about the rest. He may or may not ever pay you, but in the end, he will be held accountable.
I have to remind myself of this over and over again in life. I can't look around and worry about what everyone else is doing or not doing. As long as I am doing my part, that is all that is required of me. That is all I will be held accountable for. Getting worked up about what others do, say, look like, act like or talk like doesn't do me any good. I just need to work about those and that which I am responsible for. If I do my best in those assigned areas, then I am good. If you do the same, so are you.
Yet, after all is said and done, management still expects us to be accountable. We must answer for what we do every day. In order that they might know we are accountable, they have devised several procedures to help track us or help us track ourselves.
In turn, management is also expected to do the same thing. They are then tracked and asked to give account of themselves to corporate officers, who in turn have to report to vice presidents, who report to executive officers and so on and so forth. It gets to be a pretty messy ordeal. Stress levels go up and down each month when one is called to report on his/her accountability.
I have always wondered about this. If we were to all just take responsibility for ourselves and the things that are required of us, we would not have to have this check and balance program. Everyone would know what they are supposed to do and do it. However, I find that many of us, myself include, get caught up in watching what other people are doing or not doing and trying to make sure they are doing it while forgetting to do what we were supposed to do.
I learned great lesson about this several years ago and need to keep reminding myself about it. One of my uncle related a story about getting a job. He was promised payment upon completion of the job. When he had completed the job, payment did not come. He started to stew about it. He was letting the resentment consume his every thought and action. When his father noticed this, he sat down with my uncle and asked him what was going on. The story was retold. My grandfather looked my uncle in the eye and asked, Did you do was you were asked to do? My uncle replied in the affirmative. Then my grandfather said, let your employer worry about the rest. He may or may not ever pay you, but in the end, he will be held accountable.
I have to remind myself of this over and over again in life. I can't look around and worry about what everyone else is doing or not doing. As long as I am doing my part, that is all that is required of me. That is all I will be held accountable for. Getting worked up about what others do, say, look like, act like or talk like doesn't do me any good. I just need to work about those and that which I am responsible for. If I do my best in those assigned areas, then I am good. If you do the same, so are you.
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