In a fast-shifting world, nurturing our professional growth helps maximise our potential to stay ahead of the curve. Here are three proven habits that will improve your reliability and accountability skills, resulting in higher job performance and greater workplace satisfaction.

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Follow through on your commitments

The term “accountability” can be a dirty word in today’s business settings as it implies negative consequences or punishment. However, accountability is about taking the initiative and 100% owning something from start to finish. “When everyone follows through on promises [and] doesn’t blame others for mistakes,” advises strategist Jim Granat, “it breeds trust and enhances productivity”. With this in mind, do your best to follow through on your word (unless for emergency reasons, of course). Find out here how we can better honour our commitments today.

Be an advocate

Kindly take a moment and consider how we have relied on other colleagues, team members and superiors to get where we are today. It’s essential to nurture these relationships and advocate for those who supported you. “Advocacy is a nuanced skill,” says corporate coach Sean Wood, “and can take time, but the effort you put into [advocacy] will be rewarded with increased loyalty, engagement and performance”. Here are three ways leaders can become outstanding advocates for their teams.

Fail forward

Although there is much talk about embracing failure, little is being done to change the business culture. There needs to be a shift from finger-pointing and crowd shaming to recognition and applause, argues Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s Chief People Officer. “In a culture where people struggle to admit they don’t know something, calculating risk can be tricky. Being open about failure helps us balance a growth mindset with accountability”. Follow these tips on learning how to fail and move forward.