How To Put On Your Cape-abilities

In this blog post, you’ll continue to find strategies that you can use to shake up your thinking and unleash your innovation superpowers. Each post defines a tool you need, gives you a summary of what that tool can do for you, some questions that stir your thinking, and an exercise to get you started using the tool. You can either use the tools from start to finish to understand all the tools in your toolkit or you can pick up any tool — play around, use it, and discover how it works for you. 

The next ability in our Cape-ability series is … Account-ability.

Vocabulary.com defines Accountability as:  Responsibility to someone or for some activity.

Gert’s definition:  How you measure success, and the improvements needed on your idea implementation.

Accountability describes accepting responsibility, and it can be personal or very public. A government has accountability for decisions and laws affecting its citizens; an individual has accountability for actions and behaviors. Sometimes, though, taking accountability means admitting you made a mistake. Repercussions may result, but accountability shows ownership and a willingness to admit mistakes.  

How will you know your idea has been successful?  What are the tangible, measurable outcomes?  What are the deliverables? 

You need to take the action plan developed in the Respons-ibilities step and devise benchmarks that you can measure against. If you fall short, it’s not the end of the world. Figure out a new plan. We’re all going to drop a few balls along the way.  It’s okay. Just apply the learnings and make an improved plan. 

What do you do if you do hit all of the benchmarks? Well, celebrate of course!  Come on!  There are always reasons to celebrate! Even if you fail, but you learn something, then celebrate! Think of how many versions of the light bulb Thomas Edison came up with.

There are always ways to improve things. It’s imperative that you come up with the first set of measurables. You can build from there and then celebrate each learning and each victory along the way.

“Accountability breeds response-ability.”

• Stephen Covey

Provocative Q’s to ask yourself:

• What are the non-negotiables with the success of this idea? What must happen?
• How will you know? What does success look like?
• To whom are you accountable for this idea? Along with thought partners, develop accountability partners. What are their expectations? Who do you deliver against those expectations?

Exercises to help you explore accountability:

• Select something non-related to the idea and practice benchmarking
  • We will sell “X” amount by “X” date.
  • We will get buy-in from the team and will know it by their passion and collaboration.
  • We will create buzz in the marketplace.
  • Competition will begin copying our idea.
  • Celebrate at the end and then debrief with ways to discover more potential around the idea. What are some challenges you encountered and what opportunities did those challenges present?

--gert--