As a soloist, how do you respond when issues need resolving? Do you find a solution or find an excuse? How important do you think taking responsibility for your actions and being accountable is to your inner confidence?

How do you think this reflects on your clients and whether they choose to do business with you instead of someone else?

Sole traders are 100 percent responsible for what they do in business. They can’t pass the buck to a teammate or put an angry or irate customer through to their supervisor for resolution of an issue.

Every day you’re faced with two choices: you can use excuses and blame others for things beyond your control when something goes wrong, or you can be accountable and take ownership for what’s happened and work on a solution from a position of power, credibility and authority.

We all know someone who tends to blame others or matters beyond their control for their mood or something that’s happened to them. We’re probably all guilty of doing it at times – but it’s a pretty negative way of thinking and acting.

Ever heard yourself trot out these lines, or others like them?

• “I’m late for our meeting because my car broke down.”
• “We couldn’t send your order on time as our courier is off sick.”
• “I couldn’t hand in the report you asked for because my computer broke down.”

We’ve all heard these and other types of excuses before.

What would happen if we looked at these same situations from a position of power and responsibility?

• “My car broke down, but I was prepared for the possibility of that happening so I left early and caught a cab.”
• “Our courier is off sick today so I’m going to personally deliver your order.”
• “My computer broke down but I went to the library early to get the report done and here it is.”

I believe being accountable for your actions like this naturally leads to you taking ownership and responsibility for what you do and what happens in your business.

It gives you instant credibility, and before you know it, you will be THE authority on operating from a position of empowerment and control over your life. You’ll feel more confident. People will want to be around you. Clients will want to work with you. What more could you want?

Do you have an example of a time when you’ve been accountable in this way? Was it empowering? What was the outcome?