Accountability in Leadership

Accountability and Responsibility for the Mission and Vision of Any Entity

Recently, while out of town on vacation, I met with some dear friends for dinner, and we discussed their views on local politics and the segregation between natives and foreigners. We discussed homelessness, the leadership's approach to solving it, and what I read in the national papers versus the reality on the ground. And I came to one conclusion:

A leader takes accountability and responsibility for the well-being and health of the organization or community they serve.

True leadership does not assign blame, create shame, or shift the focus away from the root causes of either success or problems.

On the trip home, I was in yet another airport terminal and confronted by my own pride. At first, I lectured my daughter about accepting responsibility and accountability, and then I realized: mercy is not owed to anyone.

The truth is, rules are rules. When we transgress them and don't follow them, we deserve the consequences. Lacking the discipline it takes to be on time and in alignment with the rules is an interesting concept—it places confidence and responsibility in the world's hands, asking others to stand in the gap for your shortcomings, failures, or lack of preparation.

When you are a leader, and you practice such bad habits, not only do you suffer, but everyone under your roof does as well.

I strive for that not to be my story.

I don't want those I serve to be unfortunate simply because I failed to practice personal disciplines that would not only benefit me, but are a vital necessity for others.

What self-disciplines does a good leader practice as a lifestyle that leads to a prosperous leader and organization?

It's as simple as the five senses plus one additional sense—some might call it a sixth sense.

One might say a sensible leader is operating on all six cylinders.

Cylinder One: Touch

The leader is in touch with their direct impact on the lives of those who are closest to them.

They are constantly reaching out and checking in with those closest to them, both to give and to receive feedback. They are not checking for validation, but for direction—to make sure they are not pushing others around in their lifestyle or demanding from their inner circle what they themselves should be providing.

Some members of that inner circle are interchangeable; some are not.

For example, if your 360-degree circle includes someone directly above you, like a boss, you might not be able to swap them out—and in this sense, you may not need to, because they are the person driving direction.

But in other scenarios, the people to your left and right might be interchangeable. In a non-business sense, these are allies and friends. When they fall asleep at the wheel, they can remain in your orbit but may need to be moved to the side so that others can slide in—people who are going to contribute to the cause or mission of the one above you.

Cylinder Two: Sight

The leader must be able to see both near and far in their dealings. They need to assess what is directly in front of them objectively and clearly envision what they will have to contend with, or what may come from their current investments in the future.

The future is only as valuable as the people who can help you get there.

A leader sees both the present and the future and conducts business accordingly.

Cylinder Three: Hearing

The leader who doesn't have the ability to truly listen will eventually go deaf.

A leader who only listens to those who tell them what they want to hear, and who does not seek diverse opinions and perspectives, is closer to total loss than the person who has nothing.

They never hear the train that is coming to take them out.

Cylinder Four: Taste

Taste can be subjective because those within an organization vary in their preferences. But one thing must be clear: we are all making the same dish. What that dish looks like is less important than what it tastes like.

Those who insist on using their own recipe and doing the steps out of order must gain buy-in from the rest of the team, or else it becomes a case of too many cooks in the kitchen.

Taste is not about pleasing the leader, the so-called master chef. Taste is always about pleasing the customer. If the customer likes it, you must be able to record the recipe and test it so you can replicate the success or identify and learn from the same failures.

In the test kitchen of business, there must be more than one opportunity for learning and options for improvement, even on the best-tasting dishes.

Cylinder Five: Smell

The nose knows. A good leader can smell bull#@*! a mile away—and has a healthy disdain for it.

A good leader follows their nose and has a sense for what is good. Sometimes they can only make a decision based on that sense. Like a cake baking in the oven, perhaps your grandmother only knew the Thanksgiving turkey was done because it "smelled ready."

In the same way, sometimes concepts, pilots, or plans have been "aking" behind closed doors, and there's no clear way to test them internally. A leader must know when it is time to serve the idea to the public—or risk being too late. This sense of timing and how it supports precision is a trait that can be trained.

It is best taught to the generation coming behind us. Those who have lost their sense of smell rarely get it back.

Cylinder Six: The Sixth Sense

The sixth sense is like a Jiminy Cricket sitting on the leader's shoulder. Every leader needs a conscious decision-making process that allows them to weigh risks, evaluate obscurity, and call out the icebergs in time to avoid collision.

Those who possess this sixth sense are not just ahead of the market; they are making the market. And those making the market are convinced that, though the outcome may be uncertain, they are moving for the greater good of everyone within the organization.

When one of these senses fails you, you must take accountability for the misread. Those are the only true steps forward. It does not automatically mean you are removed from your role; it means you have an opportunity to adjust based on what you've learned.

However, as I mentioned above, you may not always get another chance if you have never heard the train. You may have dinner late because of undercooking the turkey, but you can still get back in touch with those around you if you've lost that connection. You can turn things around and, occasionally, retrain your taste buds after detoxing from the processed rewards of "yes-men."

But if you've lost your Jiminy Cricket—if you've continued to drink until you've turned into a jack@#$—there may be no saving you. You may be destined to live among the lost children, whose voices can no longer be heard.

Accountability and responsibility are the true acceptance of the actions and decisions that led you and your organization to a low place—or to any undesirable outcome—followed by repentance and the humble highlighting of what you've learned.