According to our research, regardless of what you do, Personal Accountability is the most critical personal skill you can exhibit.

Personal accountability, by our definition, is...

The willingness to take responsibility for one's own actions.

A person who's able to take the blame for mistakes (and the credit for wins) is far more effective at any job than someone who's not. There are a lot of common sense reasons for this:

• Personally accountable people are more fun to be around because they're not busy casting blame elsewhere.
• Personally accountable people are better team-players because others trust them.
• Personally accountable people have more experience because they try things and learn from them.
• Personally accountable people receive more opportunity because others seek them out.
• Personally accountable people climb the corporate ladder faster because they're not hiding.

Now, of course, I'm not talking about a bumbling idiot who constantly makes mindless mistakes (but still takes the blame). Instead, I'm talking about the kind of person who is in the business of improving himself, his lot in life, and the people around him. The kind of person who, in that process of improvement, is willing to stand up and say, "Yes. I did make a mistake, but I'm going to learn from it." The kind of personally accountable person who's also a continuous
learner. Somebody who wants to make some kind of a difference and is willing to do the tough things to succeed.

So, what does this mean to YOU? Simply this: If your responsibilities include hiring salespeople, identifying candidates with personal accountability is critical to your success.