accountability

The Power of Self-Accountability: True Leadership Begins with the Person in the Mirror

September 11, 2024 By Patti Cotton Leave a Comment

When it comes to leadership, there’s a lot of talk about accountability. You’ve probably heard it in meetings, seen it in performance reviews, and maybe even mentioned it yourself when discussing team dynamics. But let’s be honest—most of us view accountability through a very narrow lens. We think about how accountable others are to us. We analyze our team members, colleagues, and even our bosses, scrutinizing their actions and decisions.

Here’s the reality: true leadership doesn’t start with holding others accountable. It begins with holding yourself accountable.

The Mirror Test

Imagine this scenario: You’re a leader facing a major challenge. The project deadline is looming, and your team is behind schedule. The temptation is strong to point fingers, to find out who dropped the ball. But before you do that, stop and take a good, long look in the mirror. What do you see? Are you holding yourself accountable for the role you’ve played in this situation? Have you set clear expectations, provided the necessary support, and modeled the behavior you expect from your team?

Self-accountability is the foundation of effective leadership. It’s about being honest with yourself, owning your actions, and acknowledging your mistakes. It’s not easy, and it requires a level of humility that many leaders find uncomfortable. But it’s absolutely essential if you want to lead with integrity and earn the trust of your team.

The Perils of Passing the Buck

In today’s fast-paced business environment, it’s easy to get caught up in the blame game. When things go wrong, our first instinct is often to find someone to blame. Maybe it’s a team member who didn’t deliver on time, or a colleague who didn’t communicate effectively. But passing the buck is a dangerous habit that can quickly erode trust and undermine your leadership.

When leaders blame others, they create a culture of fear and defensiveness. Team members become more concerned with covering their tracks than with collaborating and innovating. Worse, the leader’s credibility takes a hit. People start to see you as someone who shirks responsibility and avoids difficult conversations. Over time, this erodes the trust that’s critical for any high-performing team.

But what if, instead of blaming others, you took ownership of the situation? What if you acknowledged your role in the problem and committed to finding a solution? This kind of self-accountability is not only refreshing—it’s empowering. It sets the tone for your team and shows them that you’re willing to do the hard work of leadership.

The Intersection of Honesty and Humility

Self-accountability is grounded in two key principles: honesty and humility. Honesty means being truthful with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and failures. It’s about recognizing when you’ve made a mistake and being willing to admit it, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Humility, on the other hand, is about understanding that leadership isn’t about you—it’s about the people you serve. It’s about putting the needs of your team ahead of your own ego and being open to feedback, even when it’s critical. Together, honesty and humility create a powerful foundation for self-accountability.

But let’s be clear—this isn’t about self-flagellation or dwelling on your mistakes. It’s about learning from them and using those lessons to become a better leader. It’s about setting a standard of excellence for yourself and your team and holding yourself to that standard every day.

The Real Problem: Fear of Failure

One of the biggest obstacles to self-accountability is the fear of failure. As leaders, we’re often so focused on achieving success that we become paralyzed by the thought of making a mistake. We worry that admitting our failures will make us look weak or incompetent. But the truth is, everyone makes mistakes. What sets great leaders apart is their willingness to own those mistakes and learn from them.

When you hold yourself accountable, you’re not just admitting that you’re human—you’re also demonstrating resilience and a commitment to growth. You’re showing your team that it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you’re willing to take responsibility and work to improve. This kind of leadership fosters a culture of trust and continuous improvement, where team members feel safe to take risks and innovate.

Solutions: Cultivating Self-Accountability

So, how can you cultivate self-accountability in your leadership? It starts with a few simple practices that you can incorporate into your daily routine.

Regular Self-Reflection: Take time each day to reflect on your actions and decisions. Ask yourself, “What did I do well today? Where could I have done better? Did I hold myself to the standard I expect from others?” This simple practice can help you stay aligned with your values and identify areas for growth.
Seek Feedback: Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from your team, colleagues, and mentors. Listen to what they have to say, and be open to their perspectives. Remember, feedback is a gift—it’s an opportunity to learn and improve.
Own Your Mistakes: When you make a mistake, admit it. Don’t make excuses or blame others. Instead, focus on what you can do to fix the problem and prevent it from happening again. This kind of ownership is a powerful way to build trust and credibility with your team.
Model Accountability: Lead by example. Show your team what self-accountability looks like in action. When they see you taking responsibility for your actions, they’ll be more likely to do the same.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, self-accountability is the key to effective leadership. It’s about being honest with yourself, owning your actions, and striving to improve every day. It’s not always easy, but it’s the foundation on which trust, respect, and long-term success are built. So, the next time you’re faced with a challenge, don’t look to place the blame—look in the mirror. That’s where true leadership begins.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.

Jumpstarting Leadership Abilities

July 9, 2024 By Patti Cotton Leave a Comment

Image Credit: Depositphotos

When was the last time you undertook a major initiative?

No doubt, you and your team did some careful planning over time to outline a strategic plan and to get the right people and processes in place to launch successfully.

But did you consider what you would personally need in order to lead this expanded arena effectively?

No doubt, it asked more of you – decision-making became more complex, the challenges you and your team faced were new and more involved. That which worked well in the past was now inadequate. You simply chalked up the elevated demand for your personal resources, the additional stress, and the fatigue accompanying this to be part of the natural course for expansion.

Jumpstarting your leadership abilities as you look to launch a new initiative or project is key.

Ideally, it starts in the planning period, but anytime in the process will enhance your success and that of your company.

Why? Because more responsibility requires you to lead at an elevated level. And although coaching over time is the most effective way to develop your leadership abilities, fast-tracking this to meet change can boost your capacity quickly.

John, the Chief Executive Officer of a large healthcare organization, had always been an effective and visionary leader. Under his leadership, the organization had grown significantly, expanding its services and improving patient outcomes. Recently, John was tasked with leading a groundbreaking initiative aimed at integrating cutting-edge technology into the organization’s operations to enhance patient care and streamline processes.

Recognizing the magnitude of this new challenge, John realized that he needed a quick “kick-start” to elevate his mindset, refresh his thinking, and eliminate any old habits that might inhibit his leadership of this new initiative. Despite his past successes, he understood the importance of continuous personal growth and the need to adapt his leadership style to meet new demands.

When he called to explain what he was undertaking, we both agreed he would be well-served to work with an executive coach who could challenge him, be his thought partner, and his sounding board.

His current leadership style, although proven successful, might lack the necessary agility and forward-thinking approach required for this transformative initiative. This could result in slower adoption of new technologies, resistance from staff, and ultimately, a failure to achieve the initiative’s ambitious goals. John needed to rejuvenate his leadership approach, foster a more innovative mindset, and develop strategies to lead this change effectively.

To address this, we decided to jumpstart his leadership development with a 3-day private immersive. John later shared that this made a huge difference in the way he was able to move forward quickly and with greater ease.

Day 1: Assessment and Mindset Elevation

The first day focused on a comprehensive assessment of John’s current leadership style, strengths, and areas for development. During the week prior, I had administered a relevant assessment and conducted some personal interviews with John’s team in order to gain a holistic understanding of John’s leadership profile.

We focused on mindset elevation in the afternoon. Through guided discussions and reflective exercises, John explored the latest trends in healthcare technology, innovation, and leadership. I introduced techniques for fostering a growth mindset, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and open-mindedness.

Day 2: Strategic Thinking and Innovation

The second day was dedicated to enhancing John’s strategic thinking and innovation capabilities. We began the morning with brainstorming sessions where I guided John as he generated creative solutions and strategies for implementing the new initiative. We discussed potential challenges and devised proactive measures to address them.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to practical applications. John engaged in role-playing scenarios to practice leading his team through the change process, managing resistance, and communicating the vision effectively. I was able to provide real-time feedback and coaching to refine John’s approach.

Day 3: Habit Formation and Action Plan

The final day concentrated on habit formation and developing a concrete action plan. We identified old habits that could hinder progress and worked on replacing them with new, empowering behaviors. I then introduced techniques for habit change, including visualization, habit stacking, and accountability structures.

In the afternoon, John crafted a detailed action plan for the next 90 days, outlining specific goals, milestones, and key performance indicators. I emphasized the importance of regular reflection and adjustment to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with the initiative’s objectives.

Outcome:

By the end of the 3-day private immersive, John felt rejuvenated, inspired, and equipped with a fresh perspective on leadership. He had a clear action plan and newfound confidence in his ability to lead the organization through this transformative initiative. The intensive coaching session not only provided immediate benefits but also laid the foundation for an ongoing coaching relationship, ensuring John continued to grow and adapt his leadership approach to meet future challenges.

Does a quick intervention, such as a private coaching immersive, replace the classic coaching engagement over time?

No. An immersive is most effective when coupled with regular coaching for lasting change.

But the immersive can be greatly instrumental in fast-tracking senior executives like John to address, plan for, and acquire quick tools to begin the process of elevating their mindset, refresh their thinking, and adopt new habits essential for leading major initiatives.

By addressing potential problems early and equipping leaders with the necessary tools and strategies, organizations can ensure successful implementation and sustained growth in an ever-evolving landscape.

Where do you need to jumpstart your own leadership? What needs to shift or change in order to do so?

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.

Cracking the Accountability Code

May 21, 2024 By Patti Cotton Leave a Comment

Most executives in charge will find that accountability eludes them. In an effort to get things done, a senior executive may create a culture that is severe and unforgiving, with employees being terminated in rapid fashion. The executive hopes that different people will perform better than the ones dismissed – in most cases, faulty thinking.

Another senior executive will develop a soft culture, thinking that accountability is harsh – again, faulty thinking. This results in people at top levels chasing, babysitting, or actually doing the work of others in order to ensure that things get done.

Those who remain staunch in wanting to crack the accountability code will purchase expensive people management systems that ultimately may not work because of other factors. This kind of system focuses on just one of the three building blocks needed to reach healthy accountability.

The Three Building Blocks of Healthy Accountability

Leadership Development.
Performance Management
Risk Governance

When carefully orchestrated, integrating these three building blocks will make a significant difference in a company’s sustainability, profit, and growth trajectory. On a more personal level, it supports the executive’s cognitive and emotional capacity, which means the executive will enjoy less stress, have a greater ability to think strategically, focus on what matters, make better decisions, and model and develop her people.

Let’s examine each building block and see how it plays out in business scenarios.

(Note: No matter what the size of your company, these three building blocks are still valid and necessary!)

Leadership Development

Executives will need to shift their leadership style from traditional command-and-control to more empowering and coaching roles.

This involves:

Fostering empathy, compassion, and vulnerability.
Building psychological safety to encourage innovation and problem-solving.
Acting as a coach to facilitate constant learning and skill development among employees.

Leadership Development in Action: Elysian Enterprises

At Elysian Enterprises, CEO Sarah Jones noticed that her team’s creativity and problem-solving capabilities were stagnating under the traditional command-and-control leadership model she had inherited.

To begin addressing this, she embarked on making the shift to a more empowering leadership approach.

Empathy and Compassion: Sarah began by instituting regular one-on-one meetings with her team members, aimed at understanding their personal and professional challenges. This shift was inspired by a practice at Google, where managers are trained to start meetings with personal check-ins, enhancing team cohesion and emotional safety.
Psychological Safety: To cultivate an environment where employees felt safe to express ideas and concerns, Sarah introduced a ‘no blame’ policy for failed projects, focusing instead on learning from mistakes. This mirrors practices at companies like Pixar, where ‘brain trust’ sessions are held, allowing creative teams to present ideas without fear of criticism or repercussions.
Coaching Instead of Controlling: Transitioning from a director to a coach, Sarah facilitated workshops and provided resources for continuous learning. Inspired by the coaching culture at Microsoft under CEO Satya Nadella, she focused on growth mindset training, significantly enhancing her team’s adaptability and innovation.

Performance Management

Effective performance management is crucial for holding people accountable. This includes:

Setting clear, challenging yet achievable targets.
Ensuring transparency in how these targets align with the company’s overall objectives.
Maintaining open communication about performance, where metrics are actively discussed and not just passively reported.
Instituting appropriate rewards and consequences to reinforce the importance of meeting targets.

Performance Management in Action: Orion Industries

At Orion Industries, CEO Mark Liu faced issues with underperformance and unclear accountability.

He overhauled the performance management system to align individual goals with corporate strategy.

Setting Relevant Targets: Mark introduced a system where targets were co-developed with employees, ensuring they were challenging yet attainable. This was similar to the approach at Intel with OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), where ambitious and transparent goal setting is standard practice.
Transparency and Communication: To improve transparency, Mark implemented a dashboard visible to all employees, showing real-time data on performance relative to targets, akin to Salesforce’s use of similar dashboards to drive sales performance.
Rewards and Consequences: Recognizing the power of incentives, Mark revamped the reward system to include both financial bonuses and recognition programs, such as ‘Employee of the Month’, which not only rewarded results but also behaviors aligned with the company’s values.

Risk Governance

Robust risk management systems help ensure accountability at all levels of an organization by:

Establishing a clear risk governance framework that defines roles and responsibilities across the organization.
Implementing comprehensive controls and regular stress tests to manage financial, operational, and strategic risks.
Encouraging a culture where risk-aware decision-making is valued and practiced by all employees.

Risk Governance in Action: Proteus Corp

At Proteus Corp, a multinational company with diverse operations, CEO Linda Zhu strengthened the company’s risk management framework after a major data breach.

Clear Risk Governance Framework: Linda established a dedicated risk committee that reported directly to the board, ensuring high-level oversight and accountability. This mirrored the approach of banks like JPMorgan Chase, which have robust governance structures in place to oversee various types of risks.
Comprehensive Controls and Regular Stress Tests: Proteus Corp implemented regular IT system checks and scenario planning exercises to assess the impact of potential threats, similar to stress testing done by financial institutions as required by regulations like the Dodd-Frank Act.
Culture of Risk Awareness: Linda fostered a culture where every employee was trained to recognize and report potential risks, much like the safety culture at airlines like Southwest, where employees at all levels are encouraged to report safety concerns without fear of retribution.

Together, these steps form a comprehensive approach that a chief executive can use to build a culture of accountability and resilience that supports both individual and organizational growth.

In the next article, I’ll share why top executives still won’t delegate – and if you are one or are supervising one, what you can do to shift this.

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.

How Do You Sustain Necessary Change?

June 29, 2022 By Patti Cotton Leave a Comment

You’ve made the changes. You have your business imperative in hand to keep you focused. You’ve aligned and coordinated your executive team around this business imperative. You’ve had some tough conversations to clear the air (and the plates), and you’ve identified the leadership behaviors necessary to support your team in making this happen.

But your team is scared. Or worse, they are at a point where they don’t trust this will work.

Michael, a well-respected CEO, had just led his executive team through these same steps. He was sick and tired of being in the weeds, feeling as though the company wasn’t meeting its business potential.

But his team was scared.

Sandra, his VP of marketing, spoke up. “We’ve gone through the exercise one too many times, and the changes sound great. We start out strong, then fizzle out. The changes we try to make don’t stick. I can’t even muster up the courage to try, this time.”

“Frankly, I’m skeptical, too” said Max, the COO. “We’ve tried and died quite a bit.”

“Patti,” Michael turned to me, “I may as well pack it up. If the team won’t commit, we aren’t going to make any progress.”

“Team,” I said, “Hold tight. There’s a last critical step in the process that ensures that you stay on the path. Most companies miss this step – and it makes all the difference.”

“I’m all ears,” said Candace, the CFO. “Because if this doesn’t work, I’m not sure I can retrieve any muster to move forward. At all.”

The room was quiet for a moment.

“I understand,” I said. “Change is hard. And unless we approach it in a way that supports its success, the discouragement is overwhelming. But hang on, please. Your track record is about to change.”

What did we do?

We created a system of accountability to hold the changes firmly in place. Because a change, no matter how big or small, requires a supportive system to allow it to become the norm.

And here’s how we did it for Michael’s team.

“Team,” I said, “You have taken the first 4 of 5 steps to make this work. Michael has created the company’s business imperative to set the direction (see Article 1 in this series). He has worked with you all to create and align your own business imperatives to support the larger one (see Article 2 in this series). You’ve surfaced some critical conversations that needed to be addressed in order to move forward (see Article 3 in this series). And you have identified how you need to work as a team in order to reach these goals (see Article 4 in this series). Now, it’s time for step 5: putting a system in place to keep you all on the path as you move into greater excellence.”

“I’m all ears, Patti,” said Candace. The others nodded.

“We are going to ask ourselves five questions as we review your goals and the changes you have identified that you need to make,” I said. “This will help us to create a system to hold the process – and ourselves – accountable. It will help us stay on track.”

Question 1: What are we measuring?

We worked to identify what we needed to measure in order to know that we were on the right path and moving at the right pace. What would we look for that measured success? We broke it down by quarter, and then by month, so we could course-correct in a timely manner if something was not working.

Question 2: Who needs to know?

We then identified key stakeholders for each initiative. Even though the team knew who was in charge of what, they did not always communicate to others who might be affected by the work. The team also identified how and when the stakeholders would communicate with each other and built this into their regular meeting agendas. Michael would review each team member’s progress for their area during their 1:1 meetings.

Question 3: How do we check on progress?

Michael took charge of this and built into the executive team’s monthly agenda discussion time to review the team’s alignment and coordination as they worked on goals. What was working? What needed refining or redirecting? The team looked at other feedback loop opportunities to make sure they could tap into needed information at any time.

Question 4: How do we support upgraded leadership behaviors?

The team recognized that working together at a higher level required higher skill-building. They asked me to work with them individually to break through any roadblocks holding them back, and to help them step into more effective leadership behaviors.

Question 5: What are the conversations we need to have now?

We agreed that I would also meet once quarterly with the team to work with them on any trust issues, as well as critical conversations and needed relational skill-building. Without this fifth step, a team does well at best, but never reaches its peak performance.

I’m happy to report that Michael and his team made incredible progress company- and team-wise in that first 12 months. And so, we decided to repeat this for Year 2, knowing that things would only continue to reach new and exciting heights. It is Year 3 for them, and they have established themselves as a leader in their industry.

Where in the process I have described above do you and your team excel? Where do you need to put a system in place, or to strengthen this so that it works well for you?

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.

To Upgrade Your Leadership, Uplevel Your Leadership Behaviors

June 15, 2022 By Patti Cotton 1 Comment

How do you as CEO stay on top of your leadership game? Many think reading the latest books on this will keep things fresh. Others rely on bootcamps or CEO peer groups to stimulate their thinking about leading, and to work through business challenges.

Books can provide great insights. Bootcamps can certainly inform you of leadership trends and approaches you might want to consider. And peer groups can bring fresh ideas, community, and accountability.

But statistics show that none of these by themselves (or all together) yield the relevant changes that are most important. In other words, if you are spending significant amounts of money on your leadership in the ways we’ve just mentioned, you may be gaining some good value – but you are still leaving a lot of your leadership potential on the table.

How do you actually sharpen your leadership in the areas that matter most?

To strengthen your leadership, you need to know which areas of your leadership are ready for upleveling, and how to actually make these shifts in order to make lasting change.

Which of your leadership behaviors is ready for an upgrade?

You won’t really know what you need to change until you get good feedback.

As CEO, you may have a fair idea of those areas you need to sharpen. But as a human being, you also have your blind spots. And you can’t see your blind spots, because, well, they are blind spots.

Michael, our CEO in the last three articles, was given some feedback. As you will recall (see last week’s article “Confronting”), Michael was highly motivated to rise above the weeds once and for all, and to bring his team along with him. They had done some important work in establishing a company business imperative with top priorities over the next 12 months, and also identified what this meant for each executive team member’s focus and energy.

When it came time to identify what the team needed in order to accomplish these things, you may remember that the team members shared what they needed as to systems and processes, but also in behaviors – team behaviors together, and leader behaviors from Michael.

“I had no idea some of my behaviors were getting in the way of team effectiveness,” he confessed.

“The good news is, Michael, that you are well respected by your team. You received some good feedback, and we need to use it. Let’s talk about what you heard.”

“Well, I heard that I disempower people by allowing their employees to come directly to me – and I may counter what their supervisor has instructed them. And I also heard that I tend not to listen to the perspectives of the other executive team members when making decisions. Those are pretty big.”

“And I agree with you,” I responded. “Those are the two main behavioral shifts I heard, as well. Do you agree?”

“I agree. I’ll stop doing those things. Today.”

“Not so fast,” I countered. “That’s not the way it works. At least, if you want the change to be effective and to last.”

“Okay, I’m listening,” he said.

You need to identify upgrade behaviors for those you want to replace.

“Explain, please,” said Michael.

“You may know what you need to stop doing, but your brain needs a picture of what it needs to do, instead. For example, if you need to stop allowing employees to come in and work around their supervisors to get a better answer from you, what should you do instead?”

“Ah,” said Michael. “Okay. I need to redirect the employees back to their supervisors.”

“Now you have it!” I responded. “And what about being open to and listening to the perspectives of others?” I asked.

“Well, that one is harder,” Michael mused. “I thought I was open, but evidently I don’t appear to be so.”

“May I give you some feedback?” I asked. “I noticed in our team meeting that, when others gave a different opinion than yours, you acknowledged them, but then went right back to your own perspective. In other words, you didn’t ask them to tell you more, allowing them to share a different point of view, while listening carefully instead of waiting to jump back in.”

“Phew,” said Michael. “This may be tough.”

“True,” I said. “In fact, these kinds of behaviors take up to a year to shift so that they are lasting.”

“Well, how do I stay on track with that?” He asked. “I don’t have a lot of time to spend on this – but it’s key and I know it.”

“Fortunately, the third step is what keeps you on track,” I answered.

Track your progress regularly by getting feedback.

“Your team has given you great feedback. They can also provide you with info on your progress.”

“Like I said, I don’t have a lot of time,” he said.

“Oh, this is a one- to two-minute check-in about once monthly to see how you are doing. And of course, your regular coaching meeting with me to discuss how it’s going, what we need to do to break through roadblocks, keep moving forward, etc.”

“I see,” said Michael. “So, I’ll just be working as usual – only I’ll be integrating upgraded behaviors. That should not take more time – it’s just doing things differently.”

“You are getting it!” I said. “I’m happy to sit with you and put together a plan.”

Michael beamed. “I’m ready,” he said. “I think we are getting the formula for staying on top of the things we want most. If I can rise to the occasion with my leadership, I can bring the others along.”

What in your leadership needs upgrading? How do you know? Reaching the most important goals successfully starts here.

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.