Transparency International, a Berlin-based global Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), ran a global survey to attempt to measure the level of corruption in specific countries. “Over two-thirds of the 176 countries and territories in this year’s index fall below the midpoint of our scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The global average score is a paltry 43, indicating endemic corruption in a country’s public sector.”
These insights paint a frightening picture and inspire distrust towards leaders in general, and hopelessness for the future.
But, beyond political and business leadership, this phenomenon is becoming more and more evident in all sectors of life. We cannot deny that this dishonest canker-worm is eating away at the very fabric of society, but what can we do to prevent it?
As much as we try to fight corruption or mitigate less-than-perfect business outcomes due to prior decisions that were taken, throwing it around like hot coal or playing the blame game, will not solve the problem. It’s preached widely in all sectors of business and politics that transparency and accountability are the way forward to fight corruption. Perhaps it’s time to take the bull by the horns and implement a solution that will bury the victim mentality and create a culture of ownership for the choices we make and the final decisions we take in our respective organisations.
Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment and learn again to exercise his will – his personal responsibility.
Albert Einstein
This fall from integrity towards a more sinister version of ourselves can only be eliminated by dealing with the cause of this social disease. It’s deeper than statistics on paper or forming committees to address the problems. We often forget that we are human and not operating programs or machines capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically or without flaws. When we are expected to perform and deliver perfection in a not so perfect world, exercising transparency and taking ownership of our choices and decisions, becomes easier said than done. – And herein lies the root of the issue. People are afraid to take ownership and demonstrate accountability because it exposes their imperfections or failures.
We are raised with the notion that mistakes are taboo and it’s best to avoid making them in the first place. We are not taught though that they also provide the basis for experience and the prevention of repetitive behavior. We implement punishments for mistakes, but we fail to give an equal amount of instruction or encouragement to pick up the pieces and to try again. So, our society conditions us to accept an illusion of perfection rather than to acknowledge an honest mistake, rethink our cause, and redirect our efforts towards a more suitable outcome. This, of course, permeates into every area of our lives, including our professions.
Living with the illusion of perfection and a constant need to perform or to prove ourselves, inevitably creates self-esteem problems. When people fail to take responsibility for their lives, they often blame someone else for the bad things that happen and consequently nurture an empowered victim mentality. This mindset poisons and spreads into relationships, ambitions, achievements, work, business, etc.
“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”
Unknown
The only way around it is to consciously decide to deal with the toxic elements in our thinking and behaviour. By doing this, we do not escape responsibility anymore. Instead, we take control, face the issues and act accordingly. It is through our consistent action that we enable ourselves to grow and achieve. In return, we build higher levels of self-esteem and the usual fears of acceptance, validation and the burden to perform,start to correct themselves. By gaining internal stability and accepting ourselves as imperfect beings on a journey towards improvement, we can uproot the negative downward spiral in our broader society and address the lack of accountability and ownership in our daily lives.
It is not easy to take ownership, but it is essential. Our actions become the catalyst that inspires better behavior, influencing spheres beyond ourselves.
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