Leadership Accountability … What Makes Great Leaders Most Accountable?
When was the last time you saw a local business leader make a very disastrous business decision? We’d guess we’ve all seen our leaders make bad decisions at least occasionally. And when was the last time you saw that same leadership drive full leadership accountability?
But here’s the thing. For every famous mega-disaster, a thousand slip under the radar screen. And every time we confront one of these nightmares, big or small, we ask ourselves, “Why do they do it?” Ironically, it rarely has anything to do with leaders’ intelligence or even aware that their actions will likely do more harm than good.
So what is behind the behavior and bad decision making? On many instances, they put their own self-interest ahead of those they serve, and then rationalize or compartmentalize their behavior so they don’t face the loathsome truth.
In other words, bad leaders are often selfish, weak-minded and blissfully unaware that their self-image is a skewed version of reality. The truth is we all behave that way from time to time and to varying degrees.
Which brings us to the main point: Every one of us can do with an extra dose of humility and self-awareness to remind us that we’re not always the insanely great business leaders we believe we are.
Here are seven simple thoughts you should get your head and ego around to help you be a more accountable leader:
What can go wrong? What am I missing? What can derail our plan? It’s such a great feeling to get everyone all hyped up over a hot product idea or corporate vision that you just hate to take a step back and ask what can go wrong. But, guess what? Skipping this crucial step is a sign of an immature leader who’s not ready for prime time.
Actually, I don’t know. It took me years to learn how to say that consistently, and you know what? It improved my credibility while lowering my stress at the same time. It’s the same as admitting your wrong: it’s a tremendous relief to let go and admit you don’t know everything.
Let me think about it and get back to you. When I was a young manager, I was taught to be a decisive leader. That’s fine as long as you’re not doing it just for show or overreacting to less data than you need to make a well-informed decision. In other words, listen to your gut, not your ego.
What do you expect of me? What can I do for you? It’s not just a customer service attitude. It also helps you steer clear of making incorrect assumptions and goes a long way to clarifying goals, objectives and all sorts of things to keep you on the right path. When in doubt, ask.
Do the right thing (for customers and stakeholders). When leaders use those four simple words to guide their decisions and encourage others to do the same, it helps create a culture that questions the status quo and encourages smart risk-taking that won’t eventually land everyone in hot water.
I accept full responsibility. Most say it; few actually do it. Some even say it and still manage to blame everything and everybody but themselves. Leaders who make excuses are poor excuses for leaders.
Sorry, I was wrong. Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to customers over the iPhone 5 maps debacle, and rumor has it that former mobile software chief had a real problem with that. That’s one of the reasons he’s a “former” Apple executive.
Making sound decisions to take action the right way is difficult to say the least. It takes courage, patience, and perseverance. Most of us know that because we’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. Just pay close attention and stay well-grounded in these simple thoughts.
If you like this article, I’d encourage you to check out www.digitalsparkmarketing.com where you will find more than 750 additional articles. They are categorized into 40 groupings for your reading selection.
