Tenet of Leadership #4: Keep your commitments
Your people take their signals from your behavior. You have to walk the talk. If you expect ownership, you have to show ownership. If you expect dependability, you have to show dependability. To be a great leader, people need to know that you understand their needs, are empathetic to their plight, and care about their success.
Keeping your commitments to everyone in the organization (not just to those to whom you report) sends a message that you respect their effort and their time. And it’s just good business. Keeping your commitments allows others and their work to continue without delay.
I worked with a leader many years ago who was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. And he was brilliant. When you had his full attention, the experience was marvelous. But, more often than not, he would forget agreements, action items, meetings, and deliverables necessary to keep others working and on track. Time and time again, he was in a position to apologize to his co-workers, something he did very well. It was hard to remain mad at this man for very long, but working with him was extremely frustrating. Over time, it seemed clear that timelines mattered little to him. So timelines started to matter little to those with whom he interacted. Most would find ways to work around him or avoid working with him completely. And those who could not avoid him, because either they reported to him or found themselves as peers with essential dependencies, started to view their own world and sense of urgency differently.
Commitments are sacred. Make commitments. Keep commitments. Be accountable, just as you demand accountability from others.
Larry Pendergrass commented:
In response to dp: Agreed dp! A leader should practice what they preach. And I like your formula. (Perhaps there was a “plus sign” dropped in your comment? I assume you mean authority “plus” responsibility = accountability?)
There is a danger that is discussed in the literature called “The CEO disease”. This is a syndrome that can take place over time to even the leaders with the best of intentions. What happens in the typical organization is few people tell the boss what they really need to hear. (Hold on to these people when you find them! They are precious… willing to risk in order to do the right thing.) And as the boss gets more authority “plus” responsibility, they are told even less. Over time, the top leaders are lacking the basic feedback mechanisms that we all live by to keep ourselves in check and continually improving over time. So the CEO disease sets in. Top leaders become more out of touch, have a less-accurate self-assessment, and it may impact their judgment.
Your formula is great. And I would add that we need to be careful not to lose sight to what ideals we are accountable, and how we measure up. Do not cultivate yes-people. Celebrate those willing to discuss how we have missed on our commitments, or in general, how we can improve ourselves.
Larry Pendergrass
dp commented:
A leader should practice what they preach. This formula always worked for me, authority responsibility = accountability. If you have the first two then you can and should be held accountable.
