#Accountability April 14

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Today’s #Coach4aday post is on ACCOUNTABILITY.

There was a strong temptation this morning to vent about the lack of personal accountability we each may encounter daily. Dealing with people who don’t follow through on their commitments is frustrating. Interacting with individuals that won’t own their emotional outbursts but instead blame others only escalates tension. Or owning a mistake instead of fabricating excuses.

Writing a post about those types of occurrences is like a highway with bumper-to-bumper traffic. It will be crowded and slow moving. Decided to take another approach. Looked for big boy examples of owning a mistake. That roadway is not as crowded.

Examples of Accountability

One example of a corporate America company having accountability is Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the Tylenol poisonings in the early 1980s. In 1982, several people died after consuming Tylenol capsules that had been laced with cyanide. The incident was a major crisis for the company, as Tylenol was one of its flagship products.

Instead of denying responsibility or downplaying the issue, J&J took immediate and decisive action to protect its customers and restore public trust. The company recalled all Tylenol capsules from store shelves, offered free replacements in tamper-proof packaging, and worked closely with law enforcement to identify and prosecute the person responsible for the poisonings.

Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the crisis was widely praised for its transparency, accountability, and commitment to customer safety. The company took responsibility for the incident and went above and beyond in its efforts to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring again.

We all have a paradigm that politicians never admit a mistake. Well, that is not true. One example of a politician in North Carolina admitting a mistake is former Governor Pat McCrory, who served from 2013 to 2017. In 2016, he signed into law the controversial “bathroom bill,” officially known as HB2, which required transgender individuals to use public restrooms that corresponded with their biological sex rather than their gender identity. The law sparked significant backlash and protests, and many businesses and organizations boycotted the state in response.

After facing criticism and economic consequences due to the law, McCrory eventually acknowledged that he had made a mistake in signing it. In a 2017 op-ed for the Charlotte Observer, he wrote, “I’ve reflected on the recent feedback I’ve received, and admittedly, I’ve changed my mind regarding the legislation.”

Closing

Admitting a mistake is a great example of accountability. It can be a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, building relationships, and creating a more positive and accountable culture.