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May-June 2010 |
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Strive For Accountability Congress and Accountability. Now…THAT’S an oxymoron! When you strive to hold yourself and your staff accountable, the chances are that you and your staff’s productivity will improve. Granted, there are no guarantees. Conversely, think of the alternative if you don’t implement some level of accountability in your personal and professional life. There are people who don’t want to be held accountable. They have the attitude that their opinion is the only one that’s important and what they say is more important than what anyone else has to say. Does this sound faintly familiar? Perhaps personal and professional accountability and courage is a new concept for them. Maybe one reason for this is they’ve been enabled most of their lives by parents, friends or…dare I offer…voters?
From my experiences, I know that without a level of personal accountability, humans tend to seek their own level of incompetence and often take the easy way out—to point fingers and blame someone else for their lack of accountability, integrity and growth. We’ve all been there at one time or another. They seem to always have an excuse for what went wrong and become quite defensive when their spouse, close friend or boss points their finger at them. The difference is the person with real character acknowledges their mistake, apologizes, vows to make a concerted effort to not repeat the behavior and moves on. The individual with faux character, however, never learns or accepts the “errors of their ways” and becomes even more emotionally entrenched in the belief that how they acted and what they do is right. They never (want to) learn! Then, when the world passes them by, personally, professionally and spiritually, they wonder what happened. Their “Wake Up Call” may be too late! Accountable: “Answerable. Responsible. Involving personal accountable or ability to act without guidance or superior authority. Capable of making moral or rational decisions on one’s own and therefore answerable to one’s behavior.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.) Here are a few tips to make yourself and others more accountable: Define it. Make certain your family, friends and your staff know what you mean. According to Linda Finkle, founder and CEO of Washington-based Incedo Group, accountability comes down to people doing what they said they would in the time frame they set. If their self-imposed deadlines can’t be met, then it’s time to renegotiate them. Hand over the reigns. As you hold yourself to your word first, then others, permit them (empower them) to make the decisions needed to hit their goals. Coach them along but be careful not to force them, by your words or your (subtle) actions, to do it one way and then criticize them if the goals aren’t reached. “You have to realize, it’s their accountability, and I have to trust them,’” says Gary Cohen, author of “Just Ask Leadership.” Admit you don’t know. Successful leaders don’t have the innate need to admit they don’t have all the answers. They’re comfortable in their own skin and don’t always have to be right. They learn to ask the right questions…at the right time and place. “Leaders have to get over themselves and admit they can’t (and don’t) know it all,” Cohen says. Leaders have to learn to trust people and ask the questions that must be asked to find out what they need to know, Cohen said. The never shoot the messenger! Become the benchmark. Set the standard by which your future expectations are judged. You must make your expectations clear, Cohen said. If your family or staff don’t know your expectations or don’t understand them, you must take the time to tell them that it’s an issue for you. If you have a trust issue with them, you have an obligation to let them know. Be up front and work through the issue(s) rather than burying it and waiting for it to disappear, only to grow in its importance and potential volatility. Be concise. When both sides are in agreement on what needs to be done and when it will be done, the task(s) will get done 90% of the time, Finkle said. But, let’s presume you tell an employee (or a child) you need something done by the end of the day. The person may unsure about what they are to complete, when specifically you mean the end of the day, and any other details. “The assumption for the leader is that someone dropped the ball. “But the employee thinks he or she did exactly what was needed.” Check the mirror. When looking in the mirror, who is that person’s who’s looking back at you? Do you really know? The voice in your head…what’s it saying to you? “Liar, liar, pants on fire. You’ve fooled them again.” Or, “You’re doing better and walking the talk better. I like whom I see. I’m the same person here as I am at work.” Leaders oftentimes forget whose mission it is to lead. Rather than turn the mirror inwards and ask themselves what they’re doing wrong, their first reaction is to ask the employee (child or spouse) what they’ve done wrong. Pause for a moment and ask what you could do differently that would best engage the employee or family member. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most ...?” Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. Don’t delegate then take it back. It’s confusing, demoralizing and frustrating. Soon employees will learn to wait you out, knowing that sooner or later, you’ll change your mind and take control…again. Then, this becomes your pattern of ‘leadership.’ Ask key questions on who, what, how, when. If you really seek accountability, don’t tell them or intimate which decision(s) you would make if you were the decision-maker. Tell them it’s their call. Let them own it. Build a culture of honesty. Finkle said she worked with an organization whose employees feared the leader. Over time, they learned to not tell him anything that would upset him so they never told him the truth. I can’t imagine going to work every day in that type of fear driven, negative environment. I can only imagine the ‘leader’s reaction when things did go south because he wasn’t told the truth in the first place. I personally never feared any leader. There have been several I can remember who I didn’t like, respect or trust. A select few, if they’d told me the moon wasn’t made of cheese, I’d seek a second opinion. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “small man” complex. My experience is the concept is real. I’ve worked for a few of them. Perhaps you have, too. Seek an alternative path. Create an open environment that encourages (permits) people to be open and are comfortable telling you they can’t meet a deadline, made a mistake or other error. “Now you’re maneuvering together, “ Finkle said. If not, “people are often afraid to talk to you because they’re afraid you’re going to scream.” Perhaps they’re the type of screamer who throws something in your direction. They’re bullies! Sooner or later, you throw it back! Harvest the rewards. An organization and family that’s accountable to one another is a productive organization and family. People feel comfortable to discuss any misunderstandings openly and feely with each other. They don’t battle over misunderstandings, no matter how small. They don’t have the innate need to always be right. Finkle said that most leaders tell her they spend 10 - to 20 hours a week on issues that stem from a lack of accountability. How many hours a day or a week do you spend on issues that stem from a lack of accountability? How many hours does your leadership spend on issues that stem from a lack of accountability? Whatever the number, it has a large impact on an organization’s bottom line and a family’s effectiveness as a family unit. Captain George Burk, USAF (Ret)., inspirational speaker, author and writer, plane crash & burn survivor. www.georgeburk.com, P O Box 6392, Scottsdale, AZ 85261-6392. Tel. 800-769-8568. Mobile 480-212-6321 George Burk is the author of “The Bridge Never
Crossed,” “Value Centered Leadership,” and “My Mother – My
Friend.” To purchase, return to the Main page
and click on “The Bridge Never Crossed” icon. © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2010 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use
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