Responsibility and Accountability

"I do not accept personal responsibility for what happened." Patricia Dunn, former Chairman, Hewlett-Packard, sworn testimony before the United States House of Representatives on 28 September 2006.

"Now we know the depth of what has transpired, I take full accountability to drive the actions to set it right," said HP's CEO Mark Hurd yesterday at the company's spy scandal press conference.

Hurd did not take "full accountability" for the ever-worsening spy probe but rather just "full accountability" to make things right.

On the other hand we have chief like Dr.Friden who are manly/womanly enough to take responsibilities and not shy away from accepting/admitting mistakes.
I read this article about Chief Healthcommissionerr on Dr Frieden, New York's Chief health commissioner, who tossed the city's smokers from the bar-room to the sidewalk in 2003. Dr. Friden claimed that,
"Public health is fundamentally about social justice," he says. "When anyone dies at an early age from a preventable cause in New York City, it's my fault."

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/aa5856ba-0578-11db-bb76-0000779e2340.html


A chief is a man who assumes responsibility. He says "I was beaten," he does not say "My men were beaten";