I had an interesting conversation with a top community leader the other day. I had never had a chance to have an in-depth conversation with him before, so I relished the chance to learn more about him and his path to success.

I learned how he had worked his way up in various companies before achieving the position he now holds. He made some tough decisions and had to overcome some difficult situations along the way. I often hear those types of stories, and so I was not surprised at the types of stories he shared.

What I found fascinating was that he admitted that he does not like to be held accountable. All of the executives with whom I work realize that accountability will help them achieve even greater success. Some of them call me “The Accountability Queen.” Yet here I was, talking with an accomplished senior executive who shared that he intentionally avoids situations where he can be held accountable. What I found even more interesting was that when I probed deeper, it became apparent that he attempts to hold his direct reports accountable within his organization. In effect, he is not practicing what he preaches, or he feels he is exempt from his own rules. That’s not the best way to motivate others! Not surprisingly, his attempts to hold his direct reports accountable often fall flat, which frustrates him. He does not seem to understand how his refusal to be held accountable may be negatively impacting the organization as a whole. Sadly, I suspect he will learn that lesson the hard way.

Some of you will tell me that you hold yourself accountable, and that external accountability is overrated. I’m good at holding myself accountable because I have a high goal-orientation. And yet from my experience with my groups, I can tell you that my success rate is much higher when the group holds me accountable than when I rely on myself. I wish the accomplished leader with whom I met would give it a try and see how it would propel him forward and make his organization more successful!

The Bucs fired their head coach and general manager yesterday.  While it was no real surprise, it means that the Bucs players will once again be experiencing significant change and a new direction for 2014.  I wonder how easily and quickly some of them will adapt to the change.  A lot will depend upon who is brought in to lead the team and his style of management and leadership.  Sometimes a good house-cleaning is good for an organization.  Other times, stability is more effective for long-term success.

What about your organization?  Is it time for a good house-cleaning?  Are things getting stale and not heading in the direction you desire?  Let me clarify:  In my opinion, a good house-cleaning doesn’t necessarily mean changing the leadership team.  It could just mean doing a thorough analysis of what isn’t working and setting clearly defined goals to turn those problem areas around.

On the other hand, if things are working well and you are achieving your desired results, then perhaps stability should be your focus for 2014.  Try to stretch a bit more without making radical changes.  Take advantage of your stability and strengths and empower your employees to be all that they can be.

Happy New Year!

Photo by abcnews.go.com

Be a Star!DaveWilsonPhotography / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Are you employees distracted at this time of year?  Are you?  We all have a lot on our plates, between buying gifts, holiday cards and parties galore.  And many people try to take some time off at this time of year, both to spend time with families, travel, or to use up that vacation time before it expires.   That can put a strain on the employees who are in the office and having to cover for others’ workloads.

So can any work get done in December?  Absolutely!  It just takes a bit more focus and effort.  December is a great time to finalize your planning for 2014, provide feedback to your employees on their performance during the year and communicate goals for next year.  And don’t forget to remember and celebrate your achievements during 2013!  Reflect back on what worked well so you can replicate it during the coming year.

December can also be a good time for sales.  Depending on the type of product or service you sell, many companies have money left in their budget that they want to spend by the end of the year.  Additionally, since many people are running errands on their lunch hour, it is often easier to get around the gatekeeper to reach the decision-maker.  Your call or visit may be a welcome distraction from the report they are not in the mood to read!  Remind your sales people to keep pushing and challenge them to exceed their normal monthly goal this month.  See if you can end the year on a high note with your best month of 2013.

Merry Christmas!

Unsung Heroes

Whenever we hear about a major event in the news, there are often stories of people doing heroic things for others.  At the Boston Marathon, a runner helped to save the life of another by putting a tourniquet on their wounded leg.   Elsewhere, a bystander dove into the water to save a child from drowning.  Someone else went into a burning car to rescue its occupants.  Every day there are stories of regular people putting their own lives at risk to help others.  These are mostly unsung heroes.  We expect firefighters, police officers and our military personnel to be heroes, and yet often it’s a normal, everyday citizen who is able to perform amazing, heroic feats in times of need.  While some of these heroes receive public recognition and praise on the front page of the news, others are unsung heroes who do not receive the recognition they deserve.  Sometimes we don’t even know their names.

Most companies have unsung heroes who do things above and beyond their position and call of duty.  Do you know who the unsung heroes are in your organization?  Do you have a process to identify them and recognizing them?  Why not encourage that behavior by recognizing it and giving public praise for specific situations and accomplishments?  Change your culture from having unsung heroes, to front page heroes.

Photo by:  Chris Reinhold / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Every year as the 4^th of July draws near, I reflect on how proud I am to live in this great country.  We are able to experience freedom in so many ways, while people in other areas of the world are still struggling to be free of oppression.  I am grateful for what our forefathers were able to envision almost 240 years ago.  Although we may stray from that vision occasionally, we are still far ahead of so many other nations throughout the world.

What about your company?  Do your employees have that same sense of pride in your organization and in what you would like to achieve?  Are they grateful to be part of your team?    Or do you need to work on cohesiveness and vision?  If your people are not proud to be part of your company, find out why.  It could be that your culture needs to be improved.  It could also be that your vision has not been clearly communicated or that your employees disagree with the vision.  In any case, I’d suggest that you get to the bottom of it quickly.  Having engaged, focused employees can provide a significant competitive advantage.

Photo by:  Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton / Birthday Photos / CC BY-NC-ND