“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
– Henry Ford
As a leader, a strong sense of personal accountability is a must. A primary component of leadership is the ability to influence and garner respect with those you lead. Without accountability, a leader cannot build the trust necessary to achieve success as a collective. Focusing on personal accountability does take effort but is a very manageable responsibility, but what about cultivating accountability for your entire organization? This can be a difficult task, especially those who don’t have the experience in developing accountability in others.
Many of our country’s most successful organizations carry out system-wide accountability. There is an understanding that achieving this sense of accountability isn’t easy, especially in dealing with a wide variety of employees as well as the increasingly dynamic environments of the modern age. However, the organizations that find the most success make accountability a focus in all areas of business.
Elements of the discipline developed in military-like organizations can certainly be translated into your leadership practices. Of course, not necessarily the physical rigor of a soldier, but a strong sense of discipline when it comes to developing accountability for your organization. There should be clear, focused goals and responsibilities communicated to every person in which you lead, so that your entire organization can work as one unit in achieving the desired success.
Learning from highly disciplined and accountable organizations can help better fortify your business against the ever-changing disarray of business. Whatever the method for stronger accountability may be, being proactive and actionable in your leadership is the key for improvement. Most importantly, making sure this accountability is an organizational focus, not just a personal one, puts you and your business in the best position for success.
Kelly D. Scott
Chairman/CEO
The world’s leading business advisory and executive coaching organization
