Twice in less than a week I found myself with animals being euthanized—early last week it was my son’s dog Max and this past Saturday night our Vizsla, Sadie. Sure, in both cases these loyal companions had lived long lives, however, it doesn’t make it any easier.

Watching my son tearfully pet his dog for the last time, seeing my wife and daughter sob as they said goodbye to the dog they raised from a puppy, and my own swirling feelings of anger and loss in such a short time really stunk. Given that, I could look at last week as unfair or even unjust; it is neither. It’s just the yucky part of life; life is neither fair or unfair. It is a series of opportunities to chose how to respond. How I respond is one of the few things I can exert my will over even though, at times, I wish I could stop things I don’t like from happening.

Each day, we each have control over only three things: our choices, our actions, and our words. Radical Accountability, an unwavering responsibility for doing what matters most, is a human practice for being culpable for what we can control. This includes being mindful of how we choose to sell to prospects, conscious of how our actions could impact our employees or colleagues, and aware of how our words could hurt or help in some way.

My practice of Radical Accountability this past week meant that I showed up, even though it hurt. I, along with my family, made the choice to let Sadie go, even though it made us sad. Doing what matters most does not always feel good in the moment, but certainly creates good in the end.

This Week’s Radical Accountability Activating Action: Practice the art of control over your choices, actions, and words. When you do, the outcomes take care of themselves.

Take No Prisoners is a free weekly memo from Scott Wintrip that explores how Radical Accountability prospers companies and changes lives. Instead of taking people hostage with outdated, heavy-handed, and ineffective methods of management, measurement, and motivation, Radical Accountability focuses on creating an unwavering responsibility for getting what matters most done.

If you’d like to reach me, email: scott@ScottWintrip.com or call my direct line: (727) 502-9182

Visit my web site: http://www.WintripConsultingGroup.com