Put your name on it Published April 21, 2017 By Colonel Colin Morris 20th Maintenance Group SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- What does the word accountable mean to you when you hear it? Does it conjure up a positive or a negative thought? Many people hear the term accountability and immediately make it a synonym for punishment or discipline. We often hear the phrase “You will be held accountable for your actions,” and it does not normally follow a good decision made by someone. It has turned the word accountable into a negative term. Some dictionaries even define it that way. However, if we want to encourage autonomous decision making and empower our Airmen, then we must de-link the term accountability from punishment and promote accountability as a desired action. Personal accountability will ultimately lead the individual to ownership of the job or task and that is when incredible happens in our line of work. Search the web and you’ll find plenty of articles describing accountability, ownership and leadership. The common theme, leadership and personal accountability go hand in hand. Is that because leadership is normally associated with an appointed position – noncommissioned officer in charge, flight commander, or squadron commander? For some of us, the mental image of leadership and accountability is the photo of President Truman and his “the buck stops here” sign on his desk. In that context, being accountable may mean making the final decision and being answerable for the outcome, good or bad. That may be accurate in some cases, but it goes well beyond making the decision. The most important aspect of being accountable is if the outcome, regardless of success, is never delegated. The task and its outcome are owned by the individual. Is accountability only applicable to leadership positions? I don’t believe so. Personal accountability drives us to accept the results of the task and promotes responsibility for the people, equipment and result. I have found through my career that accountability and the ownership of the outcome has led to remarkable solutions to problems versus bottlenecks. Additionally, you don’t have to be the appointed leader to own the task. Airmen who do not distribute blame and take ownership of their assigned role tend to be one of the unit’s informal leaders. These informal leaders carry a great deal of influence amongst peers. Accountability, exhibited by leaders and followers now begins to be contagious and develops into a culture of personal ownership in the unit. Ownership is one of the five attributes that we Shaw Weasels value: toughness, character, competence, and courage. As one 20th Maintenance Group squadron commander said very simply, ownership is when you are willing to “put your name on it.” By putting your name on it, you take personal possession of that task. It transcends from the individual into a direct reflection of the office and the squadron, even if that task is but one step of a bigger process in the mission. Ownership begins to build in our Airmen and its value cannot be assigned or delegated. Only the person who takes ownership will make sure it was accomplished correctly, delivered appropriately, or contains accurate information. In the article “Build a Culture of Ownership at your Company,” Joel Basgall, CEO and co-founder of Geneca, points out that “ownership means saying ‘you will’ is unnecessary because the employee has already said, ‘I will.’” That employee put their name on it. Leaders should reward ownership, regardless of the impact of the job or, more importantly, regardless of the success of the task. Continue to strive to develop personal accountability in any role or task you are assigned. Put your name on it. Teach our Airmen, whether peer, supervisor, or subordinate, to do the same. Reward those who demonstrate and model ownership, regardless of the outcome of the task. Change the association of accountability as a negative term and develop the culture of ownership. Go on, put your name on it.