The Accountable Leader

No one appreciates or respects a leader that always shirks responsibility and shifts blame to other people. In fact this person is not a leader, they are just another person giving orders focusing on their own interests. Leaders are always accountable for their actions and the actions of their teams.Accountability is essential element that is crucial for the success of any organization. A leader must be able to take responsibility for their actions and decisions and be willing to be held accountable for them when things go wrong. Unfortunately, many leaders today fall short in this area, and it's having a negative effect on the organizations they lead.

To become a truly accountable leader, you must first understand the role of leadership. A leader is not just someone who gives orders and expects them to be followed. They someone who guides and inspires people to achieve more, either for themselves or for the team. They must be able to communicate effectively, build strong relationships, and lead by example. This means that when things go wrong, a leader must take responsibility for their actions and decisions, and work to find a solution.

Accountability also means being open and transparent with your team. A leader must be willing to admit when they have made a mistake and take steps to correct it. A leader who doesn't admit to mistakes quickly loses the trust of their team. They must also be willing to listen to their team and their feedback. By doing so, you can establish trust and respect with your team, which is essential for the success of any organization. Remember, organisations and teams of any sort are relationships based on trust. Without trust there cannot be any relationship.

I have worked with bosses, I cannot call them leaders, who when things went wrong they went straight to blame. They blamed staff, mangers, suppliers and they blamed customers. One so called leader, when things went wrong handed total responsibility over to other people and took no accountability. I had, and still have , no trust for that person.

Then I have worked with leaders that when things went wrong, that didn't blame, that just found out what the issue was and worked to find a solution and to make thing work better. In one situation, I group of leaders I am associated with didn't just throw their hands up in the air when governments locked us all in side. They found a way to make meetings works through Zoom and how to reach new people that were looking for mentorship. That created trust throughout the entire organisation.

As well as holding themselves accountable, leaders must also hold their team members accountable for their actions. This means setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and holding team members accountable for their performance. This approach not only helps to ensure that the team is working towards the common goal, but it also helps to foster a culture of accountability within the organization. When you don't hold people to account they will lose respect for you. People who do have accountability will not like you letting others getting away with things, and those who are not being held accountable will see you as weak and easy to manipulate.

Being a leader also means being willing to take responsibility when things go wrong. Some leaders shy away from accountability and avoid taking responsibility for their actions. However, a true leader knows that by taking responsibility and owning their mistakes, they can learn from them and grow, and ultimately reduce the chances of the same mistakes happening again.

The main reason leaders don't take accountability is due to lack of confidence in either themselves or their abilities. That lack of confidence is using displayed in procrastination or as a people pleaser. As a people pleaser are to focus on having people like them instead of having difficult conversations with them. While there maybe be fortunate created, there is no real respect. People respect those who are accountable and set high standards for others as well.

Furthermore, a leader who takes responsibility and is open to feedback from their team will earn the trust of their team members. This creates a positive work environment and helps to build a strong team. A team that trusts and respects their leader is more likely to work together effectively and achieve great results.

Accountability is not always easy, and it requires a great deal of courage and humility. It can be uncomfortable to admit when you've made a mistake, but it's an essential part of being a leader. By being willing to face the music when things go wrong, a leader can demonstrate their integrity, and earn the respect and trust of their team.

So how do you become an accountable leader?

1. Set clear boundaries and communicate them effectively. A leader should be able to set boundaries and expectations of what is required in work ethic, attitudes and outcomes. Setting clear boundaries and communicating them effectively is a key step in building confidence and reducing the tendency to be a people pleaser. Propel will know very quickly and easily what is expected and you can then talk to them easier when they are not doing as required.

2. Develop a strong sense of self-worth: A leader who lacks confidence may be more prone to seeking validation and approval from others. Developing a strong sense of self-worth is crucial in order to internalize one's own value and stop seeking validation from others. Read books on confidence and leadership. Attended seminars and conferences on leadership, personal development and your specialised skill. It is how every other leader grew themselves. There is no be such thing as a natural born leader.

3. Practice assertiveness: Leaders who are confident and assertive are able to express their opinions and make decisions with conviction. Practicing assertiveness, such as speaking up in meetings, can help to build confidence and reduce the tendency to be a people pleaser. This also requires humility. However the more confident you become the more assertive you can be while also being humble enough too not push to far.

4. Learn to say "no": Being able to decline requests and opportunities that do not align with one's goals or values is important for building confidence and reducing the tendency to be a people pleaser. With the boundaries you have set with your team you can really become arrive and say no if something does they want to do is outside of what is expected. That doesn't mean you can't look into new ideas but things must match up to the teams objective.

5. Seek feedback and take action: Leaders who are willing to seek feedback and take action on it are more likely to be confident and less likely to be people pleasers. This is because they are constantly working on their self-improvement and they are willing to acknowledge their own weaknesses and work on them. Get a mentor that can guide you to develop yourself.

To be a true leader you need to be willing to take the good with the bad and no that you are not always going to be making people happy. If you set the boundaries early and you help people to reach your high expectations then you will find it easier to hold them to account. When things go wrong and you are accountable for your actions, then you will build trust. Leadership is not always easy, but it is very rewarding in both professional and personal lives. 

Of course, there is more to success than just that. If you are serious about success, then maybe you should consider getting a mentor for yourself. If mentorship is something you are serios about, then click the this link MENTORSHIP and follow the instructions on the proceeding page. 

Terry Shadwell

Helping people help themselves so that they can lead a greater life.