Your American Hustle
Management Monday: Managing Personal Accountability
American Hustle claimed 10 Academy Awards and seems to have won America’s love as an instant classic film. Even after weeks in the spotlight, leading actress, Jennifer Lawrence is still grabbing headlines for her edgy performance. And sure, it’s good entertainment. Unfortunately, the “hustle” mentality portrayed by the fictional characters in the movie isn’t foreign to today’s business world. There are varying meanings for the word hustle, some of which include “to force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specific direction” and “obtain by forceful action or persuasion.” American Hustle’s enticing trailers that say “but we all hustle to survive,” may be glamorous, but certainly one would hope that claim is untrue. But what if it’s not? Does everyone twist the truth now and then for selfish reasons or use authority to forcefully drive an outcome? It’s a scary situation for someone to stop and consider subconscious motives or how they are perceived by others. However, there can never be growth without personal accountability.
Even for an individual who believes they are highly emotionally intelligent, sometimes it’s good to pause and self-evaluate. Considering personal accountability can only strengthen relationships with friends, team members at work, family and so on. Check out the self assessment below. Answering the questions honestly can help determine areas that can be improved.
Relationships Accountability Self-Test
Do you communicate regularly and clearly with team members?
Do you take responsibility for your actions or blame others?
Do you think mostly positive thoughts about friends, co-workers and others?
Do you ever ask how you’re helping others, rather than how they’re helping you?
Do you remember to ask how others are doing?
Do you try to provide objective feedback rather than strategic advice?
Do you find you often raise your voice?
Do you think others view you as approachable, overbearing or distant?
Do you take time for positive and encouraging conversations?
Do you feel happy or discouraged about the majority of relationships in your life?
Sometimes people hustle those around them and don’t even realize it. Other times people are being hustled and aren’t aware it is the root of their distress. Either way, it is often lack of calm and effective communication skills or low emotional intelligence that puts stress on relationships. Fortunately, the big difficulty is acknowledging areas that need improvement. The next step is to make a daily effort to be conscious of personal feelings, personal actions and the feelings of others. And if that seems like an overwhelming venture, Center for Work Life is always available for professional training in these areas.
