I was recently in the classroom of my son (7 years old) and noticed the poem written below at the front of the class.  As a parent and professional familiar with the qualities of great leaders, I was excited to see this being instilled into his character.

It Can Be Done
The man who misses all the fun
Is he who says, “It can’t be done.”
In solemn pride he stands aloof
And greets each venture with reproof.

Had he the power he’d efface
The history of the human race.
We’d have no radio or motor cars
No streets lit by electric stars.

No telegraph nor telephone
We’d linger in the age of stone.
The world would sleep if things were run
By men who say, “It can’t be done.”

-William J. Bennett

This poem caught my attention because I am constantly helping my children to become great leaders and learn the skills necessary to be successful in their own lives.  While there are many qualities of leadership, the conviction to enjoy the journey and press forward is a great quality to develop and poses.

So the secret to creating a climate of accountability is to become more aware of performance levels, take the time to give the correct type of feedback or coaching, give feedback as often as practical, and do so as consistently as conditions permit. Done over time with the proper administration of rewards when deserved and discipline or sanctionswhen appropriate, a manager can create a climate of accountability and become more effective.

In organizations, families, and indeed even our Western society, one of the reasons for failure is the inability by leadership to establish and enforce accountability. Accountability in leadership is a topic that is not frequently discussed and as a result often the cause of problems relating to compliance to procedures, following work rules, treating customers with respect, achieving results, and getting along with co-workers. Accountability is at the heart of empowering people to perform well, demonstrating initiative, and acting responsibly. When a climate of accountability exists, things work smoothly; and when it is absent procedures fail and policies are ignored.

Let me describe parental leadership first. I read a newspaper report about a father who had an emotional outburst and caused a scene in a school board meeting regarding the suspension of his son from school. His eleven-year-old son had threatened the life of another student on the playground. Following district policy, the principal had suspended the boy for three days saying, “In light of tragedies that have happened in schools around the country, we take all threats such as this very seriously. The policy requires a three-day suspension.”

The irate father emotionally pleads his case to the school board saying, “He’s a good boy and even though this is the second time this year he’s been suspended he doesn’t deserve punishment this harsh. Three days is just too much, because it’s embarrassing for him and our entire family.”

The father apparently was saying that because the suspension would be embarrassing that the punishment ought to be reduced. In other words, the consequence of the son’s behavior is trumped by the father’s desire to evade embarrassment. That is interesting in light of the father’s emotional outburst in a public school board meeting.

Now let me describe organizational leadership. A manager complained, “My employees just don’t take me seriously. She said, “Even though I tell them over and over, some employees won’t even call in to say they are sick. They just don’t show up.”

I asked what she did when an employee didn’t take the time to call in sick. She replied, “I just find somebody else to work the shift and then when they do show up I tell them to be sure to call me next time.”

I asked, “So how is this technique working?”

She said, “It’s not! That’s the problem; I can’t find good people these days.”

The situations with the irate parent and the ineffective manager are related in the absence of the leader establishing and enforcing individual accountability. When people do not feel that they are held accountable for their behavior, they often lower their performance to the lowest possible level acceptable to the leader. In other words, leader behavior regarding the establishment of accountability does a lot to determine a person’s highest level of performance. That’s what the eleven-year-old boy did on the playground. He had gotten away with inappropriate behavior before (certainly at home and possibly at school) and believed he could do it again. His previous inappropriate behaviors resulted in no undesirable consequences for him. That’s similar to what the employees were doing to the manager. They had not been held accountable when they didn’t call in sick before, so they had no belief that it was a necessary requirement to maintain job security. The manager’s failure to hold her employees accountable created an overly permissive climate where the employees could dictate their own policies and procedures.

At the foundation of establishing accountability is the principle of Behavior Must Equal Consequence. When people do not believe that their behavior will result in a consequence, they are free to choose any behavior that feels good at the moment. When people believe that their positive behaviors will result in positive feedback or even rewards, and their inappropriate behaviors will result in corrective feedback, coaching, or even discipline, they will raise their performance to the standard expected by the leader. The leader sets the standard through his or her application of feedback, coaching and discipline.

I don’t know all of the details about the parent and his son, the schoolyard bully, but it is a safe bet that the son had not been held accountable for his behaviors in the past. The reason he threatened another classmate’s life is because he didn’t believe that his behavior would have any undesirable consequences. He thought he could get away with it. And, the reason why the manager’s employees didn’t call in sick, and didn’t even apologize for not doing so was because they also thought they could get away with it. The two examples are related because in each case the leader failed to establish personal accountability by practicing the principle of Behavior Must Equal Consequence.

Effective leaders believe in and practice the principle of Behavior Must Equal Consequence. When an employee performs well and/or adheres to organizational rules, an effective manager will notice and provide the employee with appropriate feedback to reinforce the good performance. Likewise, when an employee does not perform well and/or does not follow the rules, an effective manager will notice and provide the employee with corrective feedback, or coaching to change the performance. Exactly the same thing is true when raising children. Behavior Must Equal Consequence, both positive and negative, must be a guiding principle to raise responsible children who as a consequence act responsibly.

Personal accountability is a climate that is created when a leader consistently practices Behavior Must Equal Consequence. The word “consistently” often bothers managers, because they think it means “every time.” Clearly, a manager cannot provide supportive or corrective feedback every time an employee does something. That obviously is not possible. But a manager can do what is necessary to become more aware of an employee’s performance and then provide appropriate feedback as often as is practical. Simply, if employees feel and act as though they are accountable, then the leader is practicing consistent feedback. If employees do not feel and act accountable, then the leader is not consistent with his or her feedback.

Consistency not only involves the frequency of feedback in that it must be frequent enough to create a climate of accountability, but it also includes the appropriateness of the feedback. In the principle of Behavior Must Equal Consequence, good performance must result is supportive feedback, and poor performance must result in corrective feedback. If a manager, due to stress, anger, lack of understanding, failure to take time, or habit gives negative feedback for good performance, positive feedback for poor performance, or no feedback for any performance, then the employees will sense a lack of consistency and conclude that they are not accountable for their actions. Thus they are free to act any way they want.

So the secret to creating a climate of accountability is to become more aware of performance levels, take the time to give the correct type of feedback or coaching, give feedback as often as practical, and do so as consistently as conditions permit. Done over time with the proper administration of rewards when deserved and discipline or sanctions when appropriate, a manager can create a climate of accountability and become more effective.

I relate this story of the steering wheel because the world economy is going through some stormy waters.  Although the changes going on may turn out to be good in the long run, it is still difficult to stay the course in the middle of these “troubled waters”.  More than ever we need strong leaders to step up and take the “helm”, provide guidance, and “steer” their teams in the right direction.

A strong leader will effectively partner with each employee and provide direction, guidance, and coaching.  He or she can help team member adjust their personal courses and move into “smooth water”.

Providing constant support takes a lot of effort but it will be worth it in the long run. Consider the following points when helping your team stay afloat:

Communicating frequently with each team member

-Will reduce or eliminate fear of the unknown

-Encourages confidence in individual performance

Building understanding within your team

-Instills ownership in the tasks to ensure success

-Keeps each person focused on the goal

Encouraging respect between members

-Promotes synergy

-Supports a relaxed and engaging environment

Maintaining your integrity

-Retains trust in you and the organization high

-Inspires integrity from team members

“It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required.”

-Winston Churchill

I would venture to say that most good leaders are positive people. Their positive attitude and outlook on the future will have a “trickle down” effect on the people they lead. Of course, those who follow and support this type of leader don’t just buy into a positive attitude, but know from experience that a positive outlook is often sincere and not just self serving. A true leader must prove him/her self to be more than a cheerleader. A positive outlook and driven thought process will have a record of success.

Early in my career, I worked for a President of an organization, who thought the independent dealer/distributor network of the organization would be the result of its demise. He often attacked the efforts, successes, and failures of these independents deferring to his internal “corporate” team. As a result, agreements with these dealers/distributors became more and more difficult to renew. His lack of trust led others to develop a lack of trust in him. Many of these people sought alternative business avenues. The circumstance of ill thought was clearly evident. His fear manifested what he feared most, the downfall of his organization.

Insincere or false hope is no more productive than negative thought. It is one in the same. The opposite of negative thought is positive thought and the effect of positive thought on people is a key to success. I’m not saying that a positive outlook is always going to generate success, but compared to that of negative thought, it has a much higher possibility of success.

Positive and productive thoughts lead to confidence in new ideas, sees good in others, and creates a desire for others to live up to high expectations. New ideas, with positive and trusting support will typically lead to more positive outcomes.

I invite you to submit your information below to download your own copy of As A Man Thinketh and read Chapter 2 Effect of Thought on Circumstances. Read it at your convenience and determine for yourself if it has value as a guide to qualities of leadership. It’s a read you can finish today and apply tomorrow.

Think about the effective leaders you’ve known throughout your life. I’m not talking about the leader who just had the authority to boss people around pushing their own will. They might be in a position of leadership, but are they true leaders?

Effective leaders aren’t born, but rather developed. Value added thoughts develop leaders. The word “thought,” by itself, is very vague and could lead to a number of different subjects. For my purpose here, I would like to relate it to a leader and tie it to another word “character.”

Thought and Character compliment each other. One cannot have good character without good thoughts. Our thoughts and actions develop our character and how we are perceived by those we lead. Effective leaders have learned to control their thoughts and actions in a manor that elevates their perceived leadership skills and ability.

Character is a trait that has been learned and is made up from one’s habits, attitudes and attributes. Values that might define good character include: Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Trustworthiness and Caring. A leader with sound character finds it easier to achieve loyalty and dedication. People around this leader are more apt to follow and be supportive of the leader’s decisions and direction.

Individuals in supportive roles trust that the character of their leader is as described above. They respect and trust the leader, who has proven to be someone with a strong character. This leader creates a team that grows the organization because peers and direct reports have a desire to succeed and will support the efforts of this leader.

These are just some of my thoughts. I invite you to submit your information below to download your own copy of the book. Read it at your convenience and determine for yourself if it has value as a guide to qualities of leadership.

For this blog, I thought I would briefly introduce the other 5 chapters and how they are important factors of effective leadership. Over the coming weeks, I will delve into each chapter and its relevance to leadership.

Chapter 1 – Thought and Character: An effective leader isn’t born, but rather developed. Thoughts and actions develop our character and how we are perceived by those we lead. Effective leaders learn to control their thoughts and actions.

Chapter 2 – Effect of Thought on Circumstances: I would venture to say that most leaders are positive people. Conveying a positive attitude and outlook on the future will have some “trickle down” effect on the people they lead.

Chapter 4 – Thought and Purpose: We could all probably agree that a great leader is one who can effectively convey their vision to a purposeful outcome. Presidents and CEOs are supposed to be the visionaries. They are strategically minded individuals who direct the efforts of the organization.

Chapter 5 – The Thought-Factor in Achievement: Allen states, “A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts.” How true! A person dwelling in the negative is rarely, if ever, an effective leader. How could she/he be? Without looking at positive outcomes, one is focused on the negative and self-guided that direction.

Chapter 6- Visions and Ideals: “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.” “Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. Your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.” These two quotes from the book are powerful. What more can I say? A leader is a visionary, who can effectively communicate that vision. A vision without effective leadership is simply a dream. Allen describes the dream as a “seedling of realities.” That dream or vision must be developed by changing one’s mind-set,

The book has influenced millions and I invite you to read the book and hope that it will inspire and help you become a more effective leader as well. To obtain a complimentary electronic copy, submit your information here.