Vol. 60: Don’t be a Victim
By Lary | March 10, 2010
Creating a culture where people take responsibility
“The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.”– Lou Holtz
Last time, we discussed how to create a culture of accountability. In our discussion of this subject, we’ve ranged from the baseline of personal accountability to a broader organizational culture of accountability, to the battle-tested power of after action reviews. So, if the power of an accountable organization is so obvious, why aren’t we all doing it?
In “The Oz Principle,” a book by Craig Hickman (recently reissued in a revised and updated edition 10 years after its original publication), the overgrown roots of a victimization mentality is chronicled as one of the most corrosive forces in American business. Mr. Hickman pulls no punches in deriding the plight of victimization that he believes has a stranglehold on American industry.
How many of these lines have you heard during your business career?
* “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
* “That’s not my department.”
* “Someone should have told me not to do that.”
* “Why didn’t you ask me?”
* “Nobody’s followed up on this. It can’t be that important.”
It’s fodder for a Saturday Night Live skit, isn’t it? And yet these excuses are so inculcated into the fabric of business organizations that the “who-done-it” definition of accountability often reigns supreme. Careful observers will note that the “who-done-it” syndrome is but a bumbling stepchild of the “blame game,” a playbook that is most often seen when something goes wrong, usually at the expense of overlooking a solution.
In many ways, organizations have become more focused on explaining their results than actually achieving them. Instead of focusing on accountability as a tool to get things done with better results, we’ve asked people to account for what they’ve already done. As a result, we’ve fostered an “after-the-fact” mentality instead of a “before-it’s-too-late” application of accountability.
One of the subtle themes embedded in the “I’m a victim” mentality is that circumstances prevent people from realizing their dreams. The infamous f-word – it’s not “fair” – empowers frustrated employees to expect a certain standard of equity and creates a real barrier to achieving demonstrable results.
The Winter Olympic Games illustrated the peaks and valleys of the blame game. Some unsuccessful athletes blamed the weather, the start times, the course and the judges. Others, like Apolo Anton Ohno, were clear in accepting the volatility and unpredictability of short track, embracing the good and the bad that naturally beset that sport. While uncontrollable forces are legitimate distractions, blaming them for our lack of success deflects our focus from the commitment and perseverance required for success.
“The Oz Principle” encourages taking responsibility for our own actions … and accountability for the actions of the teams on which we serve. Below the accountability line are the many excuses we hear every day from victims who do not own up to their responsibilities, which Mr. Hickman organizes into six familiar categories:
* Cover Your Tail
* Finger Pointing
* Wait & See
* Ignore / Deny
* Confusion – Tell me what to do next
* It’s not my job
All of us will find ourselves below the accountability line from time to time, but when we recognize that we’re falling below it, we must take ownership of our actions. Mr. Hickman’s approach to get out and stay out of the blame game are summarized by See it – Own It – Do It – Solve It.
It’s inevitable that we’ll return to these themes periodically since they represent the most vexing challenge faced by business leaders today – how to eradicate the victim mentality in their organizations and install a culture of accountability that will not only help them avoid dropping the ball – but ensure that when it falls, everyone will be diving to catch it.
KBO
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The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which I have served as a regular columnist for the last two years. The Business Journal covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.
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Article published – March 8, 2010: The electronic version of this article, as published by the North Bay Business Journal, is identical to this post and may be found here.
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Any related materials or articles referenced in the published column, or otherwise applicable, are referenced in this digital version of the article.
Topics: Accountability, Best Advice I Ever Got, Communication, Family Business, Last 10 Columns, Leadership, Management, North Bay Business Journal, Performance, Personal Productivity | No Comments »
Vol. 59: Creating a Culture of Accountability
By Lary | February 22, 2010
Creating a Culture of Accountability
“Nine-tenths of life’s serious controversies come from misunderstanding.”– Louis Brandeis
“When is it no longer my responsibility to get people to complete their assignments … and where does their responsibility to perform begin?” a North Bay CEO asked me recently.
“Your responsibility never ends … and neither does theirs,” I said. “Your job is to work tirelessly to build a culture of accountability so that your team understands that being held accountable is the cornerstone of a strong, successful organization. It is not punitive.”
In this column recently, we’ve discussed personal accountability as the “singular touchstone of professional success over which we have the greatest control.” We’ve also discussed the After Action Report, a valuable teaching tool that reinforces accountability and inspires a culture of continuous improvement. A culture of accountability might be seen as the thread that connects our personal accountability – walking the talk – and the After Action Report – talking the walk. But what is it, really?
In simple terms, accountability is a willingness to accept responsibility for our actions. It’s being reliable and making certain that the commitments we make, from the perspective of others, have been kept. For a culture of accountability to prevail, each of us must make certain that those commitments are honest – and honored. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Accountability, Communication, Entrepreneurship, GTD: Getting Things Done, Last 10 Columns, Leadership, Management, North Bay Business Journal, Personal Productivity | No Comments »
The Value of Checklists
By Lary | February 15, 2010
Checklists? Those lists I prepare each day and don’t help me get everything done – don’t really need to know more about them … or do you mean those checklists that airline pilots use to keep me from getting killed? Now, those I like.
Some of you will remember an earlier post in the GTD context about the value of checklists. Now comes the book, The Checklist Manifesto, inspired by issues found in operating rooms but expanded to the many areas where simple checklists are invaluable.
Checklists couldn’t be simpler. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Accountability, Best Advice I Ever Got, Books, Executive Coaching, GTD: Getting Things Done, Performance, Personal Productivity | No Comments »
Vol. 58: Powerful After Action Reports
By Lary | February 8, 2010
Building a Business: The power of the After Action Report
“Thankfully, perseverance is a good substitute for talent..”– Steve Martin
Many years ago when we lived in the Midwest, we became very good friends with a young couple down the street. He was a fellow fraternity brother, from another college, but I remember him as a very capable physician with a unique ability to describe complex medical subjects in layman’s language.
One day, he asked me if I’d like to go to work with him on Saturday. He’d show me around, we’d have lunch, hang out. He couldn’t leave for lunch, but he would bring along some homemade sandwiches, bologna with lots of ketchup, he said, and I could sit in his pathology lab as he performed an autopsy … and while he was cutting and sawing, we would enjoy our lunch together. It was when he started laughing that I realized why my vision of an overloaded bologna sandwich, dripping with ketchup alongside an autopsy table, was kicking up a firestorm in my gut.
I think that’s how many business executives view an After Action Report (AAR) — a gruesome business designed to relive the pain of failed projects. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Accountability, Communication, Corporate Governance, Entrepreneurship, Executive Coaching, GTD: Getting Things Done, Last 10 Columns, Leadership, North Bay Business Journal, Performance, Personal Productivity | No Comments »
Taxachusetts? Not this time!
By Lary | January 20, 2010
As you know, Scott Brown, a Republican, defeated the Democratic candidate to fill Sen. Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat, a stunning reversal of Massachusetts trends of the last 50 years, for a seat that the Dems thought they couldn’t lose.
While there is certain to be a lot of political fallout and spin doctors massaging the message, it’s hard to argue that the health care reform razzle-dazzle isn’t part of it. As I’ve said before, I doubt that there’s a single American, let alone a U.S. Senator, who could even tell you, clearly and plainly, what the bill looks like today.
You can find other articles in Sword Tips discussing some of these provisions, and the lack of cost-saving provisions. I think what Americans resent is the enormous resources devoted to an omnibus bill of gargantuan proportions, unread by virtually all, that has jumped ahead of job creation and economic stability for so many Americans. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Accountability, Communication, Cost Management, Economy, Government, Health Care, Leadership, Politics, Surviving the Storm | 2 Comments »
Corporate Governance Sucks!
By Lary | January 19, 2010
If you remember, the General Motors board gave CEO Rick Wagoner a 64 percent pay raise — to $15.7 million — in 2007, when the company lost $38.7 billion. The company went bankrupt two years later at a cost of $52 billion to shareholders and another $13.4 billion to all taxpayers.
In Sword Tips, we’ve often remarked on the dismal job done by so many Boards of Directors, falling short of their fiduciary and ethical responsibilities and failing to hold the company’s leaders accountable for their performance as well as their conduct.
So, it’s no surprise that John Gillespie and David Zweig, have written “Money for Nothing“: How the Failure of Corporate Boards is Ruining American Business and Costing us Trillions”. You can find a review of the book here.
My advice? If you have no meaningful expectations from your Board, don’t have one. Keep grandma and your sister on your board. Have a nice dinner, some wine and keep telling each other how wonderful you are. When you wake up one morning and discover that your business is in the tank, you won’t need to call them on it. Just stay in front of the mirror a little longer.
Topics: Accountability, Corporate Governance, Entrepreneurship, Family Business, Leadership, Surviving the Storm | No Comments »
Vol 57: Think Strategically!
By Lary | January 18, 2010
Building a Business: Thinking strategically more than just tactical details
“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.”– Peter Drucker
I have been working recently with a young CEO-in-waiting who is eager to move into the top spot. He recognizes, however, that his struggle to “think strategically” may be keeping him back. On a tactical level, he is very efficient, discharging the assignments given to him, working his way through his daily action list and dispatching players to their intended destinations. He’s proud of his accomplishments, as he should be, but he “can’t see the lawn for the blades of grass,” and is constantly wrestling with how to develop a strategic perspective.
Ironically, many executives bear a subconscious fear about actually getting to that strategic level. After all, it’s a little harder to figure out what to do than to simply — do. It’s more demanding to establish the flight plan than to follow it. Creating the plan also demands more personal accountability, the conundrum that befuddles so many executives in the first place.
What does it mean to “think strategically?” Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Entrepreneurship, Executive Coaching, Family Business, Leadership, Strategy | No Comments »
Lessons from a Lemonade Stand!
By Lary | January 15, 2010
Seth Godin recently wrote about two lemonade stands and how simple things in the approach made such a big difference. My colleague, Jonathan Fields, also commented on this post, expanding upon some of the key differentiators that apply to all of our businesses.
Simple concept, Provocative Ideas. Free lemonade, anyone?
Topics: Best Advice I Ever Got, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership, Motivation & Incentives, Performance, Sales & Marketing, Strategy | No Comments »
Have fun today? Nah, I’ll wait ….
By Lary | January 14, 2010
Saving that bottle of great wine for a special occasion … but each time, setting it aside waiting for the NEXT great occasion? Don’t take time to visit special places and landmarks in your own city because you’re busy now but soon, you’ll have more time?
The NY Times recently published a story, The Psychology Behind Putting Off what can be Enjoyed Now“, referring to recent studies exploring our strange impulse to put off what can be enjoyed today to another day. Not a good habit of ours ….
The story concludes with a reminder of the advice given in the movie, Sideways, to Miles who has been holding onto a ‘61 Cheval Blanc so long it’s in danger of going bad. Of course, he ways he’s waiting for a special occasion but his friend Maya deftly responds: “The day you open a ‘61 Cheval Blanc? That’s the special occasion.”
Carpe diem, my friends. Now!
Topics: Interesting Stuff, Is this a Great Country or What?, Leadership, Personal Productivity | No Comments »
Get to work … and thanks for working
By Lary | January 13, 2010
Getting the impression that I may have caught up on a little HBR reading over the holidays? What makes you think so?
I did read The Power of Unwitting Workers recently, though, and thanks to so many of you for contributing … unwittingly … to energy conservation and other worthy, albeit clandestine, activities. Like the other side of the pillow, this article is pretty cool.
It describes several circumstances where employees, and others … unknown to them … contribute benefits of all kinds. Power Walking to take advantage of the piezoelectric effect (how about that 25¢ word?). Would you believe that all of the CAPTCHAs we complete almost every day have helped to transcribe nearly 150,000 books a year (or that CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”). Read the for more interesting stuff … and, students, if you’re planning to take the SAT anytime soon, thanks for working your butt off to figure out 10% of the questions that aren’t scored at all.
BTW, with the CAPTCHA acronym construct described above, it does gives all of us a chance to create any old acronym we want, doesn’t it? How about IBBSTWIFLI (“I’ll be back sometime tomorrow when I feel like it.”)
Topics: Entrepreneurship, Interesting Stuff, Is this a Great Country or What?, Personal Productivity, Uncategorized, United States - General | No Comments »