We live in the most affluent age that the world has ever known. However, if I’m being bluntly honest, I perceive that with affluence has also come an increase in personal fragility. Part of that fragility is fear and avoidance of any sort of personal accountability. Senior leaders, here are 10 (very) tough and honest questions to help you rate your own accountability level:
1] What’s the scorecard that you’re using to measure what a “good job” is for your team members?
2] Do you HAVE a scorecard?
3] Does the scorecard also apply to you?
4] Are your team members looped in, or do you hoard information?
5] Do you have a “growth” mindset that causes you to seek input?
6] Who can give you honest input without fear of reprisal?
7] Does anyone actually give you input which includes critique in any sort of structured way?
8] Does anyone give structured feedback regarding your messages?
9] Do you micromanage your team?
10] Do you have any entrepreneurial tendencies which (while positive in themselves) cause you to resist “releasing” to other leaders – and potentially recognizing that others besides yourself have expertise and abilities which may be superior to your own in certain areas?
Ouch. I know these are hard, raw questions to ask ourselves. Some of the answers hurt when I asked them of myself. But the first step in making things better is acknowledging the truth.
BTW, you’re not off the hook, team members. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss accountability for you…
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