Kristen Lee (Corporate)

Which of the 8 Cultural Practices are you already practicing?” (Please tell us how.)

Upon considering the eight Cultural Practices, “Personal Accountability” was the one which stood out to me the most as something I strive to incorporate into my daily work life. Whether or not each of us has a manager or supervisor who directly oversees our duties, I believe it is crucial to hold ourselves accountable to ensure that we perform at our best every time we put our hands to the plough (literally or not). Oftentimes, it is only each of us who is most aware of the various components of his or her job and the balance of priorities as they shift over time. It would follow then, that it makes sense to keep our own selves on task from day to day, instead of leaving it to others to keep us in check.

As someone who can quickly get absorbed in each day’s specific demands, I find it useful to regularly pause to think of the longer-term projects on my plate. As simple as it may sound, I always try to look past just that day or week on my calendar to ensure that I have a full-orbed view of not only the smaller, closer-range tasks which I need to accomplish, but also ones which may require more time and effort to complete. It is all too easy to lose sight of a “we-need-to-do-this” comment in a meeting or fail to take action on an “I-should-do-that” thought. However, I have found that if I can keep track of my various responsibilities by seeing where tackling them might fall concretely on my calendar, that helps me to stay accountable to myself and ultimately, serve others better.

Kristen Lee
Executive Legal Assistant
San Francisco, CA