Taking Inventory—An Important Step in Moving Forward

Ten years ago a reporter named David Weigel suggested that all journalists do something called pundit accountability, a practice of periodically reviewing their own claims and then publicly admitting which were right and wrong. This past week, a NY Times reporter did just that.

It made me think about how, without accountability, it's easy to just keep repeating patterns, never having the opportunity to learn something new and grow. Owning up is actually a critical step, and one that often gets overlooked because we want to be right, or look smart, or only look forward and not dwell on the past.

Many times, we don't take responsibility unless someone, usually with more perceived power in the situation, is forcing us to. When we were little these were our parents and teachers, then our bosses and clients, at times our friends and partners. But rarely do people proactively do this for themselves. And that, I believe, is a missed opportunity.

As we head into a new year, and the focus shifts to what we want to be creating next and how 2021 will be different, let's not forget the important step of taking inventory of 2020.

There's a way to do this that I've found is most effective.

First—as yourself, "What has happened in 2020 that I am proud of?" Notice I didn't ask what good things happened in 2020. This is not about the context of the world, or about what may have happened to you (that just places you as a bystander or victim of circumstance instead of in the driver's seat of your life). This is about what you did in 2020 that you are proud of. What choices did you make, big or small? What actions did you take? Make a list and aim for twenty or more. When you get stuck (which you will), just keep going. It's not a race, but you do want a nice full list.

Next, "What happened in 2020 that I would like to change?" Now— this is not, if you had almighty power to cure Covid or pay all the reparations owed, this is in your corner of the world, in your life, what would you like to do differently, big or small? What, if you get quiet with yourself, hasn't been feeling quite right? What have you been avoiding? What do you want more of? Less of?

By framing these questions around yourself, you are taking accountability for your own feelings and actions. This onus is important because it makes clear where responsibility lies. Not in a blaming or shaming way, but in a truthful account of the facts. Taking responsibility is taking our power back. While we can't control everything, we can make decisions and lead ourselves, our businesses, and our lives, in the direction we actually want to go. But we can't do that if we're hiding from what we want to change, and our part in it, or if we're not allowing ourselves to feel personal pride at our resilience and ability to create positives in a difficult situation.

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