There are six things that every accountable leader must know if we’re going to be successful in what we’re trying to do. The first one is that, please know everyone is watching you. Everyone watches the leader; everyone looks to the leader to set the example. How do you dress, how do you act, how hard do you work, when do you show up, where do you park your car. As the leader, we need to set the example of what we’re looking for in everyone associated with the organization. The example we set will go a long way.
As leader, we need to know that people want to succeed. Our job is to help them succeed. We need to provide them the tools that they need, the investment, the training, and then we need to get out of the way. We can’t micromanage the process; we need to let them do it. We need to stay engaged, we need to be there as a resource but we need to let the people around us achieve success the way that they need to achieve success and then everyone grows.
As a leader, as an accountable leader, we need to have a strong vision because that strong vision attracts others to us. You see when we have a strong vision, one that is painted with vibrant colors, others want to be a part of that vision, they want to achieve that vision, they want to be on that same mission. And when you have enough people dedicated to that vision, it’s going to happen.
The fourth thing that accountable leaders need to know is that expectations drive results. We need to be accountable to establish the right expectations. And then we need to be accountable to communicate those expectations. When those expectations are communicated people naturally will want to achieve at that level or higher, and when that happens, we’ve got a great thing going.
The fifth thing that accountable leaders need to know is that when we care about people, people will care about us. We need to show that we do care about people not just in the work sense but in their personal life and what’s going on and the challenges that they’re facing. And when we care about people and we show that, then they’re there to help us achieve what it is that we’re trying to achieve. It’s an important piece of the puzzle to have that in place.
And the sixth thing that accountable leaders need to have in place, well, we need to say thank you. We need to recognize those people who are doing a great job and let them know we appreciate it. And one of the best ways to do that is not just to say thank you to them, which is important but to say thank you in front of others so that they realize that we want the world to know they’re doing a great job. When we say thank you and give them that appreciation, they’ll only want to work harder.
When all six areas are covered, when all six areas are in play, then we become an accountable leader. We build an accountable organization and we achieve what it is that we’re trying to achieve.
