One word that illustrates just how big the gap can get between denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (feelings and associations) is the word accountability.
Leaders love to use the word accountability. They put accountability in their core values. They talk about it in press conferences. If there is a “go-to” word in leadership, it’s accountability. They make it a top priority.
But when people hear they’re going to be held accountable:
- What do they expect to happen?
- What do they associate with accountability?
- What feelings does it generate?
- What do they imagine the experience of being held accountable will be like?
Leaders can get so focused on the narrow denotation of accountability that they lose sight of the connotation that comes with it. The ideas it represents in the minds of people on the receiving end. The expectations it creates and feelings it evokes because of the experience most people have with accountability.
When people hear the word accountability targeted at them, they hardly think of the literal meaning at all. They think about it through the wider lens of its connotations. And in this case, the connotation lens is noticeably more accurate.
Why?
Because the only time we are held accountable in life—and this is true for everyone everywhere—is when we’ve done something wrong. That negative connotation is built into the word now.
You don’t get held accountable for doing the right things. You get held accountable for doing the wrong things. You don’t get held accountable for a job well done. You get held accountable for not doing your job well enough.
Even when accountability is done well, and many leaders do it well, it’s exclusively used in the context of a problem, gap, mistake, or failure.
The problem with accountability is not its literal meaning. It’s that accountability seems like a one way street—you only experience it if you mess up. People avoid accountability because the connotation is they did something wrong. And it has earned that connotation because it’s the only time people use it.
This frustrates leaders who think through the literal lens and don’t understand why people are resisting. Leaders need to understand the connotations of accountability and adjust their approach.
Open this conversation about accountability with people at work.
Event + Response = Outcome. Do the work.
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