The Accountability Blog

Tag: commitment

Gratitude and the Accountable Leader

What does gratitude have to do with accountability? Everything! Gratitude is one of the three accountable mindsets. Without gratitude accountability would not exist. Accountability is keeping your commitments to people. We tend to think of tactical commitments like getting a project done, showing up at a certain time, or turning in a report as being accountable. Those are responsibilities. It is the relational commitments that build accountability. Examples of relational commitments are: A commitment to

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Accountability “In Tune” at Gibson

Do you recognize an accountable organization when you see one? What does accountability look like in action? We are constantly bombarded with opportunities to help others. Last year several tornadoes struck the Nashville, Tennessee area. Those tornadoes killed at least 24 people and injured over 150 more. 50,000 homes were destroyed. Gibson guitars is located in Nashville and immediately stepped up to offer replacement guitars to anyone who had theirs damaged or destroyed in the

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Your Source of Excellence

Usually, when we run into a challenge, we focus most of our effort on changing what we do…and we make little or no effort to change the way we think. Yet the power of thinking far outstrips the effects of doing. It is only when we change the way we think that we change what we do in a sustainable way. This is a key principle of accountable leadership: Action always follows belief. If you

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Who You Are Is the Action You Take in Support of Your Purpose

Accountable leaders never tire of asking themselves a tough question: Who am I, really? They know the answer to that question is always going to be rooted, not in what they say about themselves, but in the actions that they choose to take. These leaders know their actions do one of two things: they either demonstrate full commitment to their chosen purpose in life … or they demonstrate commitment to something else. Recently, I was

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Mastering Accountability™

We can only inspire accountability. We can never bring it into existence by demanding it. This is the Principle of Accountability. And the only way to master accountability is to change the way we think. Accountability is not a way of doing. It is a way of thinking. Plenty of leaders talk about “holding people accountable” for certain narrowly-defined outcomes: getting a report done on time, hitting a performance target, taking out the trash, whatever.

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How Accountable Are You… Really?

“How accountable am I?” This is a question accountable leaders never stop asking themselves. Accountability never stops. Accountability is proactive. Accountability takes a conscious effort and continuous action over time. Accountability is keeping your commitments to people. The minute you stop asking yourself how well you are keeping those commitments, the minute you stop taking action to strengthen those relationships, Accountability fades. Often, I will hear leaders say something like this: “Sure, I’m accountable. I

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Transforming The Diversity Conversation … The Accountable Thing To Do

Most leaders miss a huge opportunity when they talk about diversity. In the wake of multiple high-profile news stories about diversity and inclusion, and any number of hastily-assembled “damage control” initiatives from companies at the center of those stories, I wonder if it’s time to reframe our national workplace conversation on diversity. Here’s a start: If you’re a leader, you are already accountable to each member of your team to fulfil your organization’s commitment to

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Accountable Leadership…Closing The Values Gap

I received a question recently from someone online, a question that gave me pause. He wanted my insights on how he could find the right employer in his chosen field, an organization driven by strong values. This is a very important issue, one that is all the more essential to consider closely because, as this man pointed out, most of the companies in his industry seemed to lack a coherent guiding set of values. Indeed,

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The Principle of Accountability™

Have you ever tried to “hold someone accountable”– and found that the person’s performance got worse instead of better? The Principle of Accountability makes holding someone accountable impossible. Lots of leaders have had this experience. Before we start talking about “holding people accountable,” a tactic that usually backfires, maybe we need to ask ourselves a more fundamental question: What does that word “accountability” really mean? Accountability, very simply, means keeping your commitments to people. Period.

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No Purpose, No Mission; Know Your Purpose, Know Your Mission!

What is your Purpose in life? What is your Mission? They are not the same. It is quite common for people (and teams and even entire organizations) to get a little confused about what a Purpose is and how it differs from a Mission. This confusion does not exist for accountable leaders and the team members who report to them. Truly accountable leaders know that their Purpose is the reason they are here, phrased in

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