Standing in the middle of the highway, I held the sign higher and higher to get his attention. Forced to leap out of the way, I gently tapped the windshield with the tip of the SLOW sign in my hand. I was intent on not causing any damage, so I swiftly pulled it back once it tapped. Suddenly, the driver slammed on his brakes. He backed the car up and was about to leap out and teach this girl a little lesson about touching his car when a hand reached out from my left and stopped the car door from opening.
Brian, the roller driver who had witnessed the incident, stopped his equipment and stood firmly at my side. One of the gravel truck drivers also saw what was happening and pulled his truck up, so the driver could not drive away. Signalling to the driver to roll his window down, and with the gravel truck driver now at his side, Brian began speaking.
“Do you know the difference between responsibility and accountability?” he asked.
Annoyed and angry but aware of the road crew’s power advantage, the driver shrugged.
“Responsibility is the task you are responsible for, like following road signs.” The veins on Mr. Speedy’s forehead were popping out, his face was growing redder by the second, and he began spewing insults toward me when Brian cut him off.
“AND,” he said, “accountability is owning your bullshit actions when the results suck.”
Diffusing the Situation
Brian went on, “You, sir, are responsible for following the rules of the road and the sign in her hand said SLOW. You violated those rules, so this young woman reminded you of them by tapping your windshield to get you to slow down. She used the only control she had to keep you safe. She did that, even when you were okay with putting her life at risk. Now, you will hit a big old strip of fresh tar a few miles down the road. At that speed, the tar would have covered both sides of your precious car and been a nightmare to remove.”
I could see Mr. Speedy starting to calm down, realizing there was more to this slowing down. Brian was a down-to-earth, practical fellow with a strong French accent who loved putting arrogant people in their place, so he carried on.
“Your responsibility as you go through our construction zone is to follow the rules. Yes, even if you think they’re stupid or don’t believe they apply to you. Accountability takes many forms, and today I choose to make you accountable for your actions by apologizing to the person you could have killed. You will thank her for caring enough about you to keep you from destroying your car or getting in an accident. My friend here and I will wait and decide if your response is acceptable enough to allow you to continue on your way, so make it a good one.”
That day, during my first summer out of high school, Mr. Speedy wasn’t the only person who learned the difference between responsibility and accountability. So did I.
Responsibility = The tasks for which one is responsible within their role.
Accountability = ownership of the results after performing those responsibilities.
Responsibility and Accountability – Coaching Questions:
- Do you define clear responsibilities for your team and team members?
- Are your team members aware of the accountability measures for those responsibilities?
- How can you approach discussions about accountability with your team?
- Considering your team’s responsibilities, how do you also own accountability for their results?
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