“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."
Benjamin Franklin
Key Points
• Make it clearly understood with employees that individual accountability is vital and is expected. An attitude of accountability is at the core of any effort to improve activities and maximize results.
• As leader of your department you must lead by example by demonstrating individual accountability with your words and actions. Leaders influence people—instill in them the principle of going the extra mile in performing their assigned duties.
• The book The OZ Principe states it very clearly for achieving results—See It, Own It, Solve It and Do it.
• From W. Steven Brown, book Thirteen Fatal Errors Managers Make . . . And How You Can Avoid Them.
o We fail to develop people—by not providing training and proper models to follow.
• Nike famous ad slogan “Just Do It” there is no excuses, no wiggle room.
Use Brian Cole Miller six SIMPLE steps:
1. S = Set expectations
2. I = Invite comment
3. M = Measure progress
4. P = Provide feedback
5. L = Link to consequences
6. E = Evaluate effectiveness
Take: PRIDE in everything you do:
P = Personal
R = Responsibility
I = In
D= Daily
E = Effort
Suggested Reading
The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman.
The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success -- No Nonsense, No Excuses by Linda Galindo, Versera Performance Consulting
Points of reflection
“No individual can achieve worthy goals without accepting accountability for his or her own actions.”
Dan Miller
“A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.”
Marcus Aureliu