Accepting Responsibility and Accountability For Results !

Don Zillioux, Ph.D.

·     Leaders place an unrelenting focus on results.  They want results, not “best efforts.”  We have too long rewarded, even celebrated, “best efforts”, despite failure.  Achieving results is in the control of your leadership.  Leaders have a responsibility to lead change and to tackle reality head-on, despite the inevitable outside influences that can impact results.  Leaders do not offer excuses...they deliver successful results.

·     True leadership involves not only the exercise of authority, but also full acceptance of responsibility. Accept responsibility for those whom you lead. When in a position of leadership, everything that occurs is your responsibility, even the errors.

·     A Leader is ultimately responsible for accomplishment, results, and success.  In business, success is most often measured by growth in sales, profits, marketshare and stock price.  

·     Rather than expend energy worrying and placing blame, Leaders just solve the problem. The great Leaders go one step further and take action to ensure that a similar problem doesn’t occur in the future.

·     Great Leaders are positive individuals.  They don’t fault others and are willing to shoulder the blame.  They don’t complain; they find solutions.

·     Leaders always share, or give away, credit for successes.   In everything they do, they exhibit the attitude of sharing, except when things go wrong.  Then the true Leader steps-up and accepts the blame; he or she shares it with no one.

Don is the Chief Scientist at Strategic Development Worldwide and the author of "The Results-Focused Organization" and the upcoming "The Results-Focused Manager." This piece is extracted from the upcoming "Field Guide for For CEOs and Managers." He can be reached at [email protected] and www.sdwnet.com