What the Army Life Taught Me About Accountability

I grew up in an army household. My father was an army officer. I went to the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehra Dun (RIMC). I lived in the armed forces environment for over 20 years.

In the army, when something goes wrong, the question asked is not "who made the mistake?" The question asked is "who was responsible?"

These are very different questions.

The first question looks for someone to blame. The second looks for someone to own the situation, fix it, and ensure it does not happen again.

Early in my career, I carried this distinction with me. It shaped how I approached my work, my team, and the situations I found myself in.

Over the last 36+ years, I have worked with many people. The ones who grew the fastest were not necessarily the most brilliant. They were the ones who said "I'm responsible for this" and meant it. Not as a performance. Not to impress. But because they genuinely believed that the outcome, good or bad, was theirs to own.

Accountability is not about punishment. It is about ownership. And ownership, once it becomes a habit, changes everything.

(Published in LinkedIn on 22 Feb, 2026)