We live in one of the greatest countries on earth. Food is abundant. Water is abundant. Education is abundant. Housing is abundant. Work is abundant. We have freedom of speech, social class mobility and the right to believe what we want. We have immense opportunity, but it’s not available to everybody. Why are there homeless people? Why are there uneducated children? Why do people go to bed hungry at night? So, what could possibly make this any better? Accountability.
Open the newspaper any morning and you will read about corporate executives who have used the company for their personal gain, PTO parents who have embezzled money from the band fund and politicians who seem to have their own definition of honesty and servant leadership. We have communities where people don’t feel safe because of how they look and citizens who feel the answer is to take matters into their own hands. Accountability is lacking on so many levels.
We can be better as individuals and we can be better as a nation. It makes me wonder what would it be like if we combined all of our nation’s great traits with accountability.
Accountability is keeping your commitments to people – whether spoken or unspoken.
What really does happen when people keep their commitments? What really happens when teachers are fully committed to preparing every student for graduation? What happens when politicians really keep their commitments to their constituents, and does that just mean the people who voted for them or gave them money or is that politician supposed to represent everyone in their district?
What happens when those band parents keep their commitments to those kids and make sure that every dollar collected goes to developing the skills of the children and their playing opportunities? What happens if the CEO of the company keeps their commitment to the employees and creates a place where people can thrive, enjoy doing their job, be engaged and produce at incredible levels? What happens when companies create jobs for unemployed people in their communities?
There are so many ways that we would see improvements if people just kept their commitments, if we were all truly committed to people, all people. When ego, personal gain and greed come into play then everything starts to become about “us” instead of about “them”. When we focus on and serve others we begin to become accountable. It’s time to be accountable to all people, not just our relatives, the people in the community that we live or the street our home is on. When we keep our commitments to all people and create a better place for those people then we end up with a better place for us in the process.
We live in an incredible country. When everyone looks to serve, care and be accountable we will create a place to live that exceeds our wildest expectations. We will create a place beyond what we can imagine. Ultimately, accountability becomes our secret weapon for creating the ideal place to live.
