“Leaders lead”, as the old saying goes. This is a simplistic view of what leaders actually do; it does not take into account the fact that not everything a leader does is worth following. So let’s revise this saying to be more specific: “Leaders lead by modeling effective behaviour.” In today’s complex organizations everyone must be an influential leader. Influential leaders are role models of accountability. Their appropriate behaviour comes from a conscious choice to live by their conviction, to change harmful mental models, and to manage their emotions. Their appropriate behaviour is a result of their well-developed skill of Positive Presence.
For example, In health care this choice extends to the way they view their enormous responsibility for other people – from the internal senior management team to governing board to employees to physicians and other clinical providers to the patient population to the community at large. Accountability is a practical instrument that influential leaders use to keep themselves and those around them honest, focused, productive, and positive. Influential leaders know that an organization devoid of accountability is nothing but a collection of people who shift blame, feel victimized, procrastinate, and disguise their incompetence.
Another way leaders role-model accountability is to always, in any challenging situation or conflict, ask “how did I contribute to this problem?” This simple question must be followed by an actual evaluation of the leader’s role, because just posing the question is as good as screaming, “I didn’t do it!” This show of genuine concern indicates to others that the leader sees herself as accountable not only for the problem but also for the solution. Without the use of accountability and feedback you will be leading in the dark.
While accountability is effective in establishing behaviour based expectations for performance, the key is to remain focused on improved and effective behaviour change. Repeating ineffective behaviour that is revealed in feedback and accountability ultimately creates a great deal of damage to any relationship. Acknowledging a mechanism that identifies a behaviour that needs to changed is only of value when there is a commitment to actually changing the behaviour. The key is, to move out of the past and focus on the change that’s desired.
Accountability is a backward looking process. The focus must be on what the change is going to be and how to put it into practice moving forward. Accountability is like an MRI – it identifies what’s broken – you will still need to fix the problem. That comes with personal responsibility for the accountability process of daily purposeful and intentional alignment between what you say you believe and how you actually behave. Creating a culture of accountability and change by introducing the Skill of Positive Presence is a simple and affordable practice to put into place, moving the process forward.
Accountability must be a visible practice In creating an organization that is built for collaborative success. All team members are clear about their specific responsibilities. They are aware of the organization’s purpose, mission, vision, values, and how they fit into this framework. They are given measures and tools to use in this framework. They are given measures and tools to use in determining if they are moving forward or falling behind on their objectives. They are empowered to do their job, and they are rewarded for their efforts. The result is a high level of employee engagement with a vested interest in the success of the organization. 
In today’s fast paced and ever changing business climate, the most dangerous thing about stress is how easily it can creep up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feel familiar, even normal. You don’t notice how much it’s affecting you, even as it takes a heavy toll.
The findings coming from the neurosciences is proving that the ‘brain-power’ needed for productivity and efficiency in today’s work environment can only be attained when you are in a state of positive emotional electro-magnetic neuro-chemical energy. This state requires (and/or depends on) your ability to create a flow of positive thoughts and feelings amid the chaos, the change, and the ambiguity of today’s work environment.
Successful companies and their leaders don’t stand around waiting for direction in moments of potential crisis. With a highly developed sense of purpose, they take the initiative and problem solve with collective intelligence and effectiveness in a systems based approach to averting crisis and obtain optimal levels of sustained outcomes. This collective and collaborative approach to performance arises from a focus on upper brain response for achievement, rather than a lower brain response to self-preservation.
Do you ever go to work and ask yourself, “How can I perform my very best today?” If you are asking that question, have you ever asked, “What do I need to do to perform to my full potential?” As a leader you not only need to be self-aware but you need to be self-evaluating constantly for individual and organizational performance improvement. The day you stop continuing to learn, to grow, and to develop is the day you start dying an inevitable slow death. Rest assured your competitors will not stop improving if you become comfortable with your status quo.
In the knowledge-based economy it is the first time in human history that a ‘hard day’s work’ is not ‘hard’ in the physical sense, but instead it is the employee’s brain that’s being worked — it is their ‘mind,’ that is employed. That being said, for today’s organizations to succeed and thrive will depend on the ability of the collective working brain-power of their workforce to create and produce.
The findings coming from the neurosciences is proving that the ‘brain-power’ needed for productivity and efficiency in today’s demanding work environment can only be attained when we are in a state of positive emotional electro-magnetic neuro-chemical energy. Unfortunately, the very nature of today’s organizations – the complexity, the chaos, and the constant change – runs counter to creating an environment that is positive and energized.
Research and personal experiences are telling us that the phenomenon of ‘re-wiring’ through the neuro-plasticity of your brain is easier than it may sound. In fact anyone with a keen self-awareness and some really good coaching can, through their conscious thought processes, change behaviour habits in three to four weeks, or even in as little of eight days.