Great leaders become that way from experience and by learning from failure. But before you can learn from your mistakes or bad decisions, you need to own up and take responsibility for your actions. Only by acknowledging that you are at fault can you analyze what you’ve done and move forward.
You don’t learn anything when you blame others for why you didn’t succeed. By making excuses, you don’t hold yourself accountable and feel as though you are the victim. Victims do not make good leaders.
To be an effective leader, it’s essential that you know how to take responsibility. Here are strategies on how to live with accountability:
Focus on what you can control
If you want to achieve the highest level of success, it’s crucial that you learn how to handle criticism and complaints that may have a negative impact on your outlook on life. We’re human, after all; and we all get affected by other people’s judgments on us personally and professionally.
However, to move forward, we need to recognize that there are things that we cannot control and that we cannot please everyone. There will always be naysayers and critics. To enhance the quality of our lives, we need to surround ourselves with positivity and an attitude that always looks forward.
State clear expectations that define the vision
What is the big picture? Do you have a reward system in place for the high achievers on your team? How do you intend to track milestones and progress?
As a leader, you have the opportunity to clearly define the expectations of each project at the very beginning. Your team needs to know who is responsible for what, deadlines, milestones, and expectations. You are responsible for ensuring that everyone is crystal clear that if one person on the team fails, the entire team fails.
Eliminate procrastination
If you want to improve your accountability, you need to do what you say you will do. You have a better chance of succeeding when you communicate to everyone that you are committed. By making a public declaration, you will feel the right amount of push to follow through. When you know that others are aware of your promises and deadlines, you are motivated not to disappoint them by not meeting expectations or failing to deliver on time.
When improving accountability as a leader, it’s essential that you align your words with your actions and behaviors. You have to talk the talk and walk the walk. As a leader, it’s your job to advocate a company culture that promotes accountability.
Accountability, when consistently modeled in the workplace, can be infectious. Your team will learn from your actions and they will begin to adopt these practices for themselves. As a leader, do you struggle with building a culture of accountability in your company?
I believe I can help you. I’ll help you resolve conflicts among your people and inspire your teams to work more effectively — together — to help your organization succeed in today’s challenging business climate. Let’s connect: https://meetme.so/GregNichvalodoff
