Every new team member at Facings spends their first day of training with me—a full day where I get to totally not brainwash them into understanding our history and company culture. About six hours in, when their eyes start glazing over, I like to tell a story about a McDonald’s bag that inevitably blows into our parking lot overnight.
Now, if I roll into the office around 8:00 AM and that bag is still sitting there, I know at least four people have stepped over it. And honestly? It’s a little disappointing. Not because I mind picking it up, but because if you’ve been through Facings’ culture training with me, you know what to do when you see a McDonald’s (or any other local fast-food chain’s) bag in our parking lot.
Let’s be real—taking responsibility isn’t always fun, and my track record is far from perfect. It’s a lot easier to blame the hooligan who dropped to McDonald’s bag. But the truth is, whether it’s at work or in life, growth happens when we stop pointing fingers and start asking, What can I do to fix this? It’s also about acknowledging when we fail to take ownership (I’m looking at myself here), and committing to try harder.
At Facings, we’re all about building a culture where self-accountability isn’t just a buzzword—it’s how we operate. It means showing up, following through, and understanding that our actions (or inactions) impact the people around us. And yes, that includes not leaving your dirty dishes in the sink, hoping someone else will deal with them (you know who you are). Real success happens when we all take ownership. I’m extremely fortunate to work among a group of individuals who embrace and practice self-accountability.
But self-accountability isn’t just a work thing. It’s also about having the tough conversation instead of avoiding it, and realizing that maybe, just maybe, your “bad luck” is actually just a pattern you haven’t changed yet.
So, here’s the challenge:
- When something isn’t working, instead of finding someone to blame, find a solution.
- Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, just start.
- Instead of expecting others to change, focus on where you can improve.
At the end of the day, self-accountability is what separates the people who make things happen from the people who wonder what happened. Let’s be the ones who make it happen, and never step over the bag.