In a recent discussion group focused on leadership and personal development, some of the participants, all youths living with disabilities, mentioned that many of their peers, when deciding whether or not to attend a programme, all that they cared about was the allowance and the food to be provided by the organisers.

It's important to make some clarification here.

Persons with disabilities are often hampered by a public transportation system that does not meet their needs, and therefore taking a taxi or using one of the mobile transportation apps is often a real necessity.

So in many cases, an allowance to cover the costs of their transportation is really indispensable, but to some extent, what those youths were sharing is a symptom of a broader trend that goes well beyond the unique context of persons with disabilities.

It's not a latest trend but a progressive pattern that defined our general culture that slowly got shaped around allowances, a concept that, over time, got misunderstood or abused by the system, especially the development sector. It is a world that myself has been a part of for over 15 years, and with some hindsight, I do understand that there are a number of flaws in it, like organising retreats at the end of the year in order to spend off whatever remains of a budgetor givingthe participants, during programmes and events, items like pens and notebooks.

Still this piece does not want to be focused exclusively on the weaknesses of the development sector nor does it want to unnecessarily overblow the issue of allowances. All in all, the focus should be on why less efforts and quick gains are valued rather than the whole process or the journey of growth. Focusing on immediate success is a problem that also stems from a wrong understanding of leadership and personal development.

Recently I was in a conversation with a senior academician who was sharing how his students were rejecting meaningful internships or interesting jobs simply because their initial salary was deemed too low. Also in this case, we need to make a caveat because indeed many companies and not-forprofit organisations do take advantage of recently graduated students with unpaid internships that are actually a substitute for paid jobs or offer very low compensation.

Yet the figures demanded by his students, according to the academician, were staggeringly high for someone entering the job market for the first time. I couldn't myself believe how, amid a lot of exploitations, there are good learning opportunities, which are automatically rejected by students simply because they are not rewarding enough monetarily.

When you go to a training and you expect the organisers to offer a pen and notebook or when you complain that the food provided was not good enough or when students have only high expectations, I think there is something wrong. Perhaps it is because the society puts a premium on immediate visibility and gains, and youths are under pressure to show how good they are and how worthy (and expensive) their contributions are going to be.

Perhaps, a culture that is so much driven by social media feedings can also explain the current situation.

Instead of reading newspapers or books, most youths are glued to their smart phones with their apps, making it appear to others as always having the best time.

All this could be explained because there is a lack of personal accountability.

Understanding the consequences and the impact of this on the process of self-empowerment and personal development of a youth can help us explain what's going on in the society these days. Personal accountability is the capacity to listen to that inner voice that each of us possesses and that each of us is so good to suppress and limit because it always tells us hard truths that make us uncomfortable.

That voice is what leadership jargon would define as the 'True North' that tells us of our most important values and, very importantly, of our willingness and ability to stick to them even when it is much easier to do otherwise. Apparently, it is much easier to be choosy and demanding when we are invited to a training or programme or when we forget that our first job could be a great learning lab even if the cheque at the end of the month is small.

Taking a 'shortcut' once in a while makes things easier and faster, but it can also be risky as you can eventually end up in a 'sliding' cycle of behaviours and attitudes that will give a premium on 'smartness' rather than hard work and accountability. It can be small things like attending a training without a pen or deciding to attend a conference just at the base of the venue hosting the event or rejecting a training because there is a small fee to pay or because the certificates, a real no sense, won't be provided.

Ultimately personal accountability is the glue that helps us to align ourselves to our values that, in simple terms, are those 'things' deemed so important by us that upholding or disregarding them could literally change the course of our lives, one step and one action after other.

Accountability also lays the foundation of what we call self-leadership, a long process of personal growth that helps anyone to lead positive lives before being equipped and prepared to lead others.

My view is that each single act makes a difference in the long run. If we are those always demanding and demanding, but eventually, we do realise there is something wrong in our behaviours, do not despair.

Personal change is possible and achievable, but it requires a steadfast effort and a long-term perspective and capacity to listen to that 'annoying' voice. Are you ready?

Galimberti is the co-founder of ENGAGE and of The Good Leadership

A version of this article appears in the print on February 2, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.