I had a very revealing experience when I was a quality assurance technician installing large scale HDPE evaporation ponds. It was the start of my journey of taking and verbalising full accountability and the benefits it has for your career and life.
We had a needed to increase the number of destructive tests that were required per linear metre of HDPE wedge welding. This consisted of having to cut an 800mm piece of welding out, place a patch over the weld and extrude weld the patch in place. I took this problem and attempted to not increase the amount of seam air welding and vac boxing (further integrity weld checks) by cutting the destructive tests around where we had an existing horizontal seam tie in (sheets are 7m wide). These destructive test samples were then taken back to the QA hut to complete pull tests to the nominated spec.
The issue was, post this decision all of my samples were failing. We spent 3 days trying to find why until I realised what was occurring. Unfortunately, it was totally due to my choice of where to take the samples in the welding seam.
I remember the vehicle arriving with our construction manager and his 2IC engineer to where I was working. I had the feeling of dread around having to tell him we had lost three days of testing and it would have to be re-completed. In my mind I had the justifications why it happened and had practised them to death around why it wasn’t my fault and how was I to know.
He rocked up, the window came down and he beckoned me over. I dragged my arse over there and waited for the tirade. I still to this day don’t know why I did it but I lead the conversation and started with ‘I fucked up, I’ve realised what I did wrong and will work hard to address it.’ I waited for the response. It never came, he turned to his 2IC and dressed him down saying ‘Why couldn’t he just admit when he screwed up like I did’. He said ‘He didn’t want perfection he just wanted tomorrow to be a better day than today.’ He thanked me for my honesty and left. A telling moment for the 2IC and myself.
A better tomorrow is a pretty decent motto, one which I carry with me each and every day. I remind myself it’s not always about moonshots and exponential change, it’s about laying the groundwork today for a better tomorrow. Yet that only happens if we reflect and take ownership for accepting reality, acknowledging where we performed less than what we are capable of and taking ownership to do better and reach higher tomorrow.
Try starting taking more accountability for your world, verbalising and accept actions that seem difficult or no one wants. Acknowledge when you miss the mark to yourself first and then to your team and leader. I guarantee it’s empowering to not only you, your boss will appreciate that you are committing to improving (not fence sitting, staying under the radar, deflecting or the other ways some try to get through the day) and others will respond to your genuineness. Hopefully with their own increased accountability increasing psychological safety from within the team.
It’s amazing how leaders interactions whilst banal for them, become seminal for those who they inspire. Who are you inspiring today?
Reframe my Safety Brain 