For me, accountability means being responsible for everything that you do. Being responsible is one of the most important traits an employee should have. If you have this trait, every good things will surely follow. One of the ways of showing accountability is being responsible in your work place. For example, your boss has delegated a difficult project for you to lead and make it successful. It may sound very challenging but you basically need to fully own it and take the flak if it didn't go successfully. When failure happened, accept it and move forward. Use your plan B and innovate your plans to become better on your next attemp. Furthermore, influencing your team members to also become accountable is a win-win situation. But be the best example. Always do what you preach. Is accountability really so important? Yes it is Because your ethical work and honesty start here. Based on my experienced, having a full package of potentials is incredibly important. I'd rather own my mistakes than saying a lot of excuses. If you have the ability to be accountable, you surely have the ability to become trusted in what you do. For the last 5 years of my career as Sales Adviser and Team Manager, I can proudly say that accountability is part of my core competencies.