CHAPTER 9LOSING CONTROL
“Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be.”
—Stephen R. Covey
“So, you wondered how you can trust team members while holding them accountable at the same time? Good question, Felix. In fact, this is one of the first questions people ask when I talk about the accountability concept in the context of The Leadership House framework. Let me tell you this: trust and accountability are not mutually exclusive. They reinforce one another. But before we get there, what is the difference between responsibility and accountability? Do you know?”
“People are responsible for specific teams, projects, and departments, no? Like our CTO. Tim is responsible for our tech infrastructure. He's responsible for the development of products and product features. Or our VP of Sales and Customer Success, Steve, is in charge of—surprise, surprise—our customers. He has revenue targets and must ensure the customer is happy.”
“What about you, Felix? What are you responsible for?”
“As the CEO, I am responsible for the success of the company in general.”
“Well, you are not wrong. But when coaching leaders, I like to quote Simon Sinek. He said, ‘Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.’ As a leader, you are responsible for and in charge of the people who are responsible for the success of your business. For instance, Steve is in charge of ...
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