You may remember this scene with the penguins if you’ve seen the Madagascar movies.
If you’re a leader, you’ve also likely experienced the impulse to tell someone, “Don’t give me excuses, give me results!”—just like Skipper (the penguin) says.
While this may have worked for Skipper, my experience tells me it probably won’t work for you and me.
It’s right to expect the people we lead to be ACCOUNTABLE. But for us as leaders to require accountability from others, we must first MODEL IT OURSELVES.
The trouble is that most leaders think THEY are being accountable and that everyone else around them is NOT..
I have found that listening to what leaders SAY and hearing how they THINK will often illuminate areas where they’re not accountable.
Any time a leader ‘BLAMES’ or is ‘FRUSTRATED’ with a situation, person, event, circumstance repeatedly indicates a dip in accountability.
They say things like:
● “There’s not enough time in the day.” (blaming time when in reality it may be a lack of prioritizing)
● “This generation of workers…” (blaming the workers when in reality the coach approach leaders are adapting and engaging this generation of workers)
● “Corporate is requiring it.” (which may be true, but blaming corporate gives permission to your team to blame them or others)
● “No work / life balance…” (when in reality it is a result of choices we are making and the boundaries we are/are not setting)
Name the excuse or thing to blame – and there is likely an area where we as leaders can and should step more fully into accountability.
These questions may sting a bit because many of us as leaders have thought or said these things.
Believe me, I know. I also have to call myself out on it from time to time.
But the first step to recovery is admitting we have a problem.
When we accept and acknowledge where WE’RE not being accountable, we can STEP INTO higher levels of accountability and be the role model our teams need us to be.