Strong leaders know accountability is a superpower.
Not just holding their teams accountable- but focusing first on themselves. Not as a weapon but as a burden they carry. All the time.
The impact of accountability is felt most when it’s erratic. Weak leaders pick and choose what they’re accountable for. They use it as a lever to get results when it suits. That makes them weak because it undermines trust.
Accountability is powerful because it closes the improvement loop. When you, as a leader are accountable for everything there’s no escaping from results, and when you know you can’t escape you get better results than if you can. Simple as that.
Great teams know the buck stops with them, and their leaders.
Show me a leader who doesn’t lose sleep about their team’s performance , and I’ll show you a leader that’s only partially accountable.
You’re not truly accountable when results are selectively measured to look good. Equally you’re not accountable just for the mistakes and bad news. It’s all or nothing.
You’re not truly accountable when results depend on adherence to rules, or hierarchy, or convention, or can be blamed on them. “We were just following orders” is an escape clause. When the rules become your rules, you’re accountable for them.
Accountability isn’t just owning up to mistakes when they happen. It’s accepting that the world doesn’t revolve around you, and your choices determine your place in the world. For good or bad. It’s accepting that you can shape events, and even when you can’t shape the outcome you still own the outcome.
It’s an attitude of …unselfishness…
Not just the acceptance that you can be wrong but the understanding that you often are.
Not just blindly following rules but taking responsibility for them, and responsibility for bending them when needed.
Not just allowing others to influence decisions but an acceptance that once agreed the decision is yours also.
Outcomes and consequences are your responsibility as a leader and it’s why leaders get paid more.
Accountability isn’t a thing you accept occasionally.
“…when you know you can’t escape you get better results than if you can…”
What happens when you don’t achieve an objective?
Do you look for scapegoats or look for reasons for failure?
Are your performance measures independently & regularly reported, or do you choose what to report and what not? Do you have measures?
Do you seek credit or lessons from success?
Are there things that aren’t your fault?
What’s out of your control? When is following rules or convention more important than achieving results?
Does responsibility for outcomes ever sit with someone higher up or outside your team, or hidden in a set of rules?
Where does the buck stop? Does it always stop with you?
Does your team know that you always carry the responsibility for what they do?
Are you Accountable?
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“I might be wrong, but at least I’ve thought about it…”