Leader Compass 45 - Own It! The Language and Culture of Accountability

One of the most rare character traits today is that of personal accountability. Blame is so easy. It's simple to select a number or reasons not to take responsibility for one's actions and blame others, outside forces or simply ANYTHING but ourselves.

President Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk that said "The Buck Stops Here." The reference was to the phrase "passing the buck" which means to pass responsibility to someone else. Truman kept the placard on his desk as a reminder to himself and others that he was responsible for his decisions and the consequences of them.

Years ago my parents started a quote book for me as I graduated high school. My dad had one when he was a young man and I read through it often enough that my mom pulled one together for me. Over the years I've accumulated many quotes and ideas in several notebooks and journals. One that was given to me that I didn't really understand until later in life was "when you pick up one end of the stick, you also pick up the other." I'm sure there are many ways to interpret this saying. Here's mine.

We all chose what we do every day. From what we wear, to workout or not, what we eat, to smile or not, the words and phrases we use...everything is a choice. What we can't chose is the consequences of our choices. That's the point...we pick up one end - ours but what we can't chose is the other end - the consequence.

There is a lot or power in this little analogy when it comes to leadership and accountability. This simple statement can change the way you view your interactions and the way you coach your teams. What if, instead of just owning our end of the stick we also own the other end? What if we took on an extreme level of accountability and owned both ends? Let me explain.

Connecting with others can be difficult. Sometimes we don't say the right thing, sometimes we do. How we act and how we are perceived can be two very different things from our point of view. What, however would happen if we owned both the delivery and the reception of our messages. What if we took full accounting for both ends? Would we be quicker to apologize when we have offended? Would we be quicker to adjust when we recognize a poor decision? Would we own our choices and not "pass the buck?" 

Practicing and teaching accountability is much easier than we think. I admit, it requires a bit of practice and a willingness to stay open and not let our egos run the show, but it is remarkably simple.Here are a few keys to adopting the language and culture of accountability.

• Resist Temptation. The "crack cocaine" of emotional relief is passing the buck. When a problem is in front of you resist the temptation to look for blame - don't blame people, the weather or any other outside source. 
• Take Ownership. Use the phrase - "that's mine" or "that's on me" to show yourself and others that you are taking ownership. Something bad happens on your team? "That's on me. I'm the leader and it happened under my watch."
• Use the QBQ Questions. In his book QBQ, The Question Behind the Question John G. Miller challenges that using questions that start with why - "why did this happen?" lead only to blame. Ask the question behind the question. QBQs start with how, what or when. How will I fix this? What will we do to address the problem? When will this be addressed?
• Create a Culture of Accountability. Accountability simply means the ability to account. Create a culture in your workplace and on your team where individuals: 
• Know how to account for their responsibilities and
• Do so regularly
• Kill the Cancer Before if Starts. As a leader it's your job to stop in your mind and in other's words any blame game. Use some of the questions below to refocus and turn from blame to accountability:
• "As you know we have a culture of accountability. How can you think about this problem in that light?"
• "Thank you for your perspective. Instead of asking why, let's use some other questions. What are we going to do? How quickly can we resolve this issue? Who is going to own the fix?"
• "I'm not thinking about this with a full thought. How do I need to see this from an extreme ownership mindset?"
• "Given all the resources we have how can we rectify this challenge?"
• "As the leader of the group this happened under your watch. What are you doing to address the issue now and prevent it from recurring in the future?"
• "I'm confident we are more intelligent than we are showing by playing the blame game. What if we challenge ourselves and take full ownership. How can we utilize our time, talents and energy to address this issue?" 

By taking full accountability and true ownership we expand our emotional intelligence and become more impactful, more intentional and more industrious. What will YOU do to take accountability for your life, your team and your responsibilities? The buck stops with you. Challenge yourself and lead on!