Accountable Leaders

CHAPTER 7How to Hold Others Accountable for Being Leaders

I was speaking with the head of the human resources (HR) department at an investment firm that was a big fan of The Leadership Contract. Over several years, all leaders at the firm had experienced our training programs. The senior executive team spent considerable time learning the concepts themselves and ensuring they were effective role models for the rest of the organization. During our conversation, I asked this head of HR about some of the most tangible outcomes. She shared that leaders at all levels were stepping up in more significant ways. They were demonstrating more ownership for their roles. They were taking the initiative to work across the company on priorities with peers and colleagues. Then I asked her what she felt was the most significant impact. She immediately responded, “Our leaders are doing a much better job of holding other leaders accountable for being leaders.”

She couldn’t have had a better answer. As a leader, you are expected to hold others accountable for their performance. Many leaders struggle with this. Now you may think it’s just junior leaders with little experience who struggle. Well, it’s not—some CEOs struggle as well. Studies show that close to 20 percent of CEOs cite holding others accountable as their biggest weakness and another 15 percent struggle with dealing with an underperformer.¹

As a leader, you need to address these issues with those you lead. As we discussed earlier ...