Leadership Systems

By Donna Butchko

In her upcoming book, Fierce Leadership:  A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices in Business Today, Susan Scott includes accountability among those worst “best” practices.  We frequently hear leaders and the public crying out for accountability these days.  Does it really belong among the worst business practices?  The answer is, as always, both “Yes” and “No.”

The problem is not with the concept of accountability, but rather with how we use the word.  Most of the time when you hear people mention accountability, they are talking about holding other people accountable, whether it’s the CEO of a failing company or a coworker.  What we all know about this, but don’t admit, is that “Who is accountable for this?” is just cover for our real question which is “Who can I blame?”  Blame has run rampant in our society and is rarely helpful in business.  Using the cover of accountability to place blame is definitely a Worst Practice.  Blame in the workplace only causes fear, and fear does not help people to make bold decisions and take the risks that are necessary for growth – of themselves or of the business.

So what is accountability good for?  Susan’s book isn’t out yet, so I haven’t read it.  Instead I’ll refer you to one that’s been out a while for the answer.  Max DePree first published Leadership as an Art twenty years ago (in 1989 for those of you that don’t like math).  In it, he talks about accountability, however he doesn’t use it as a code for blame.  Max sees accountability as something that we take for ourselves, not as something that we hold other people to.  In other words, I am accountable for my actions, no more and no less.  You cannot hold me accountable for other people’s actions or results.  You can’t even hold me accountable for my own actions.  Accountability is something that only we can choose for ourselves.  It’s like integrity.  You cannot force me to act with integrity.  I do it or I do not, as I choose.

Are you wondering, “How does that help me run my business?”  Actually, it’s a great help to your business.  You can tell when people have chosen accountability.  For one thing, they don’t look for others to blame.  When you find these people, you reward them with your trust.  That’s the critical equation:  accountability leads to trust.  When you discover people in your organization that have not chosen accountability, you manage them accordingly, including managing them out of your organization when that’s appropriate.

The next question is, “How do I get people to choose accountability?”  The answer, like all leadership skills, is “Demonstrate it.”  The starting point is always to demonstrate that you have chosen accountability for your actions.  This leads to them trusting you.  From there it is an easy step to helping them to choose accountability for themselves.   Imagine working in a place that is full of trust and lacks fear.  There’s no limit to what is possible in such an environment.

To summarize, here are today’s critical equations:

Accountability ≠ Blame (Accountability does not equal Blame)

Blame à Fear (Blame yields Fear)

Accountability à Trust (Accountability yields Trust)

Which will you choose?