Lead Yourself Well ~ Invite Accountability
In over 30 years of leadership, one truth has become a non-negotiable: accountability is not an option. It is an essential.
When I was younger, I didn’t think I needed it. I assumed passion, vision and hard work would be enough. I quietly believed that because I was convinced in my own mind, I must be right.
I soon come to realise that you can be right in your own mind and still be wrong in your leadership.
Accountability protects you from yourself.
It confronts your blind spots. It challenges any assumptions. It exposes pride before it becomes a problem.
As John C. Maxwell says,
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
The problem is this: if no one is asking you hard questions, you may slowly drift from the way without even noticing. And then, what way are we showing others?
Over the years, I have needed three kinds of voices in my life:
1. The voice of reason. Someone who asks better questions than I ask myself.
2. The voice of responsibility. Someone who ensures I operate within healthy boundaries.
3. The voice of right thinking. Someone who helps me respond with wisdom, not ego.
I actively look for mentors and coaches, people with permission to challenge me, with wisdom from experience in areas I want to grow in, and who will not hold back in asking me some awkward questions.
Leadership without accountability will eventually collapse under the weight of unchecked behaviour.
If you want to become a leader worth following, build deliberate accountability into your life:
Invite feedback before it’s comfortable.
Give trusted people permission to question your motives.
Review decisions with someone who isn’t impressed by your title.
Create rhythms (monthly or quarterly) where your leadership is examined, not just your results.
I am amazed at how many leaders don't allow others to question them. Is it fear? Is it about control? Is it about needing to be seen to be right?
Leaders should ask to be held accountable first, before they hold anyone else accountable.
Leaders should be asking their trusted leaders for strong debate, to critique performance and for new ideas. It's not to prove something, belittle or superiority, it's about making the good idea better, to stop a leader from making a wrong decision and protect them from themselves.
“Leaders who don't listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.”
The truth is simple: talent may open doors, but it is the right accountability that keeps you there.
If you resist accountability, you limit your growth.
If you welcome it, you strengthen your character.
And we know this, don't we? Character is what makes you a leader worth following.
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