Accountability is a team issue - SmartBrief

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Accountability is a team issue

You can't have a strong bench if you aren't inspiring your people -- and holding them accountable.

2 min read

Inspiration

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We hold leaders accountable for results; the buck stops with leaders.

It is a leader’s responsibility to put people into positions where they can succeed. But so often that is not always possible.

In my work as an executive coach of senior leaders — particularly ones who have been hired from the outside or are new to their roles — I always ask about “bench strength.”

One way to improve your bench is to get inside the heads of your players. That is, you get them to believe in what you are trying to accomplish. You sketch a picture of what must be done now. And you paint a full-color picture of what the future will be if the team pulls together and accomplishes its goals.

You also hold them accountable for results. When individuals hold themselves accountable for doing their best, the team as a whole can achieve.

John Baldoni is chair of leadership development at N2Growth, is an internationally recognized leadership educator and executive coach. In 2014, Trust Across America named him to its list of top 100 most trustworthy business experts. Also in 2014, Inc.com named Baldoni to its list of top 100 leadership experts, and Global Gurus ranked him No. 11 on its list of global leadership experts. Baldoni is the author of more than a dozen books, including his newest, “MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership.”

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