The Buck Stops Here

Hey brother!

Scott back with you, wrapping up our leadership foundation trilogy with the piece that turns knowledge and belief into results: self-accountability.

You know what's funny? As we've just gone through another election cycle, I've been thinking about how much time and energy gets spent on finger-pointing and blame-shifting. The airwaves are full of "it's their fault" and "they're the problem." Sound familiar?

But here's the thing - while everyone's busy playing the blame game, your life is still waiting for YOU to take the wheel.

Let me share something that hits close to home...

Remember my martial arts business venture I mentioned before? On paper, I had plenty of valid excuses for why it didn't work out:

• COVID hit right as we opened
• Construction delays ate into our budget
• Key staff left at crucial moments
• Hoping for more support from the franchisor

All true. All real challenges. And all completely irrelevant to the core issue.

The hard truth? I wasn't holding myself accountable for executing what needed to be done.

Why? Because I was trying to force-fit myself into a role that didn't align with who I really was (self-awareness fail) and deep down, I didn't fully believe in my approach (self-belief wobble).

See how these three pieces connect?

• Without self-awareness, you don't know what you should be accountable for
• Without self-belief, you won't think you can handle that accountability
• Without accountability, awareness and belief are just good intentions

Here's what I've learned: Self-accountability isn't about beating yourself up when things go wrong. It's about owning your power to make things go right.

Three Reality Checks for Self-Accountability:

1. The Mirror Test: Before blaming external factors, ask yourself: "What could I have done differently?" There's always something.
2. The Alignment Check: Are your actions matching your intentions? If not, that's on you to fix.
3. The Feedback Loop: Regular self-audits keep you honest. What did you say you'd do? What did you actually do? What's the gap?

The Game-Changer:

Want to know the most powerful question I've learned to ask myself? It's this:

"If everything external stayed exactly the same, what could I change about MY approach to get a different result?"

That question has saved my bacon more times than I can count. Because here's the truth - you can't control everything, but you can always control your response.

Your Move This Week:

1. Pick ONE area where you've been blaming external factors. Just one. Now write down three things YOU could do differently.
2. Create your own "accountability scorecard" - what are the key actions you need to take daily/weekly to move toward your goals?
3. Share your goals with someone who'll actually check in on your progress. Not a cheerleader - you need a truth-teller.

Bringing It All Together:

Over these past three weeks, we've built a framework for solid leadership:

• Self-awareness tells you where you are
• Self-belief tells you what's possible
• Self-accountability gets you there

Without any one of these pieces, the others fall flat. But together? They're unstoppable.

Like those campaign ads say - "I'm Scott Raven, and I approve this message." ?? But more importantly, I'm accountable for delivering on it.

Keep soaring,

Scott

P.S. What's your best self-accountability hack? Drop me a line - let's build each other up with real solutions, not excuses.