Having written and spoken extensively on the subject of leadership over the years, I have given a lot of thought to what makes great leaders. In one of the chapters in Be An Inspirational Leader, I explore the topic of being accountable as a leader and what that looks like. There are many facets to being accountable, but one specific characteristic of accountable leaders is they take action.
While thinking on this subject, floods of memories came back to me about various organizations I’ve been a part of throughout my life, and how it is so common to hear complaints about the status quo, about how this is wrong, or how that should be done, or how it would be better if such and such was different.
This happens in every organization and at every level—even C-suite leadership—but the vast majority of the time, those doing the complaining never do anything about it!
We could get into a whole discussion about whether or not the employees in those organizations are empowered and equipped to “do something about it,” but that’s a topic for another time (addressed in depth in my book). The point is, what differentiates an inspirational, accountable leader from one who is not, is his or her readiness to take action.
It’s one thing to acknowledge a problem, and it’s an important and significant step to admit a mistake. But there is big gap between pointing out an issue and doing something about it. Average leaders acknowledge problems. Good leaders apologize for problems. Exceptional leaders accept accountability for problems, and then take action!
Whether it’s fixing a mistake and making amends, being flexible and changing an ineffective policy, or listening to ideas and launching a new creative strategy, inspirational, accountable leaders readily respond to problems and take action to correct them. Or as Eleanor Roosevelt so eloquently put it, these leaders “Light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.”
How about you, are you lighting a candle, or just cursing the darkness? Don’t settle for ‘average,’ and don’t just strive for ‘good.’ Be exceptional! Be inspirational! Be an accountable leader, and take action!
