I work with leaders who want a competitive advantage by having and leveraging a winning culture.
Truth be told, I haven’t met a leader who doesn’t want that. But the question is, are they willing to do what it takes to achieve that?
The reality is, most leaders aren’t willing to do what it takes to have a winning culture, let alone leverage it.
The number one thing that a leader must commit to, to have a winning culture, is to insist on accountability.
Look in the Mirror
A lot of leaders drop the “A” word when they want to sound tough or strong or in control and yet, when the rubber meets the road and a key person consistently misses deadlines or lacks follow through, there are the usual excuses with few or no consequences.
How can an organization have a competitive advantage when the leaders accept a culture that perpetuates and tolerates excuses? While they may be “successful” even though that kind of thinking permeates an organization, imagine what the results could be if people were accountable?
Accountability means there is congruity, continuity, consistency and integrity in what you say and do.
It all sounds so easy, doesn’t it?
But there are a lot of excuses for why it’s not so easy. For example:
- We’re on auto-pilot and do what we’ve always done.
- We make choices that are the easy way out. Don’t rock the boat.
- Maybe something will change or “it’s not that bad.”
- We don’t have time to coach others to be accountable. It’s easier to do it myself.
We think about accountability in terms of holding others accountable rather than looking in the mirror and holding ourselves accountable first.
Adults or Day Care?
Having a winning culture means that each person on the team is willing to hold themselves accountable – whether anyone is looking or not! They don’t need to have their boss or colleagues remind them to follow through on what they said they’d do or for doing things that are their responsibility.
Think about it. How draining is it to have to remind people to do their jobs? How much energy is wasted blaming others, making excuses or dealing with the drama for things not getting done? It can be exhausting and depleting. Are you running an organization or a day care service? When you start treating people like adults, they’ll start acting like one… or they will leave and go work someplace that tolerates excuses and drama.
When there is a culture of accountability, there is an energy of pride, trust and enthusiasm.
You can count on people.
In this age of distrust, mistrust and blame, think about how refreshing it would be to work with people who are accountable.
What would it be like if your leadership team was really accountable?
How willing are you to be accountable?
Are you willing to do what it takes?
Marty Stanley, CSP, walks the talk. A pioneer in executive coaching in 2000, she received the 2017 Stevie Award Silver Coach of the Year. As a former corporate executive, she helped revolutionize the health insurance and film exhibition industries. She was hired (and fired,) for raising the bar on personal and organizational performance and challenging the status quo. As an entrepreneur, she understands what it takes and inspires others to be successful by being accountable.
No theory. No fluff. No excuses.
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