This week my son was reading the Diary of Anne Frank, and I looked her up on Wikipedia to share more details about her life. In the middle of the article on her diary was Anne Frank centric porn. I was shocked as I skimmed and forced myself to ignore it for a moment to finish the discussion with my son.
A few times over the course of the night I thought about the article and made a mental note to look at how I can edit a page on Wikipedia.
This morning, I went to send a note to the Wikipedia team, and the inappropriate content was already gone. The last edit shows that the change was made approximately 60 minutes before I got around to sending a message.
I had good intentions, but I was slow to act. I told myself I was wrong about the content (hard to believe) and part of me figured it would be caught by someone else. Lame.
[Tweet “Good intentions don’t matter if you don’t take action.”]
Do your intentions meet action?
We’ve all been there. We’ve seen a situation, recognize the issue, and keep our eye on it hoping that it works out and we’re not the ones who need to step in and sort it out. I mean, we’re willing to do it, of course, but it’s not our place… Bull hockey!
During my interviews for my university a smart young woman asked me the following when we were talking about personal leadership:
“Does stepping in when I see a need even if I’m not the official leader count as leadership?”
Let’s all say the answer in unison: “Yes!”
In the past 24 hours, I failed this personal leadership test with Wikipedia. It’s a lazy way to live – to assume that because it’s someone else’s responsibility, it’s someone else’s problem.
Hello Accountability
We can’t (and shouldn’t) butt in everywhere to control the situation, but when we see conflict, pain, suffering, inappropriate porn, we’re accountable.
I repeat. You are accountable when you see something that’s wrong even if it’s not your job to fix it.
What?? Accountable? Come on.
No.
I’m not backing down on that one.
You are accountable for your personal leadership.
Will you take action in line with your values or not?
Do you care about making things right when others are ok to live with what’s wrong?
If you don’t take responsibility and embrace accountability, it’s the equivalent of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
I’m not suggesting that you are the one who needs to right all of the world’s wrongs. I am telling you that you are a leader in your life at work, at home, at school, with friends, with family, among strangers too. You don’t need permission to address a need – you just need to do it.
We all do it in different ways – be accountable for walking your path with integrity.
Offer to buy a homeless person food instead of ignoring them or dropping a quarter into their cup.
Step into a disagreement that’s impacting the entire team to facilitate resolution.
Delete the porn from Wikipedia or send a message about it ASAP.
Merriam Webster defines accountability:
An obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.
You are accountable to living a life on terms that you can feel good about while loving and leading to the best of your ability.
[Tweet “We’re all busy but somehow when things matter, we find the time to take action.”]
Remember, best intentions are great, but timeliness and action matter too.
So, will you take action the next time you see a need or wait for someone else?
I love this article and I agree that being accountable is not always easy but is always the right way to go.
I especially connect with your idea: “You are accountable to living a life on terms that you can feel good about while loving and leading to the best of your ability. ” I step up when I feel I can add value. When I meet with clients and even if the truth may be hard to hear I try to offer it in a way that they can process my information.
Thanks Alli and will share today!
Learning to share hard truths is something that is a struggle for many people. That’s why your clients value you – they know that you hold yourself accountable for telling them not what they want to hear but what they need to hear – and finding a way forward.
Thanks for sharing, Terri!
Alli
Powerful post Alli. Accountability is at the heart of integrity. This has the momentum to change the world.
Kate
Thanks, Kate. Change starts when people step up to do what’s right even when they could simply stay silent. Accountability and integrity absolutely go hand in hand.
Alli
Such a timely piece given what’s going on here in the U.S. where we have an opportunity to stand up and be counted in the midst of searing controversies. Here’s what you can expect if you act accountable according to some of your deepest held beliefs. 1) Be prepared for vitriol when you stand up and protest for change because you believe something is wrong. 2) Be prepared to find support where you might not have imagined it. For me, being accountable has inherent costs, and benefits, and I have to weigh them and then, be who I am.
With you, Gary. Even over here, in Australia, people are being more vocal about what’s going on in the USA.
To your point, when we do take a stand and are accountable, while some may not like it, we will find unexpected supporters too. Personally, there are things I’m willing to remain quiet on and others I’m unwilling to tolerate. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone… we just need to be conscious of our choices and biases.
Thanks for your insights!
Alli
Indeed, what Kate said. I needed to hear this one today, and am going to write a wrong after this post. Good intentions fall flat without the execution they need to let our leadership shine in the world. Thanks, Alli!
Without execution, we’re a bunch of good thinkers without a lot of good coming of it. Here’s to never being afraid to shine!
Appreciate you, B!
This post really hits close to home, Alli. I’m reminded of that phrase: “All it takes for evil to exist is for good people to do nothing.” I’m automatically reminded of the Holocaust, but on a much smaller scale, this is true for each one of us on a daily basis. It does require that we take a moment and review our thoughts, words, and deeds at the the end of the day and honestly assess where we could have done better. And maybe we did exactly what we would have wanted to do! In that case, we need to pat ourselves on the back. This isn’t about beating ourselves up because we’re not perfect; this is about learning how to become a better person. Thank you, my friend.
Well said, LaRae. One thing we can all learn to do is become better.
Grateful.
Alli