Train the Brave, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 18Hold people accountable

He often misses deadlines.'

‘I'm always having to chase her on things.'

‘He's perpetually late.'

If you've ever found yourself frustrated at someone who's perpetually slack, late or unreliable, you'll relate to some of the comments above. Many people value their promises cheaply or simply manage their commitments poorly. Others have a hard time holding people to account. It's easier to just let it go, do it yourself and hope they'll be more reliable next time. The problem is, they rarely are.

It's an old rule of life that we teach people how to treat us. Accordingly, if you don't hold people accountable when they fail to follow through on commitments, you're implicitly condoning the behaviour. But, like so many of the things you know are good for you to do, holding people accountable requires exiting your comfort zone. It's why it takes an ounce or two of courage. Sometimes more.

YOU GET WHAT YOU TOLERATE.

Whether you're managing a business of 5000 or your life of one, when you don't call people on their broken promises and ill-managed commitments, you become part of the problem. By letting things slide — perhaps by doing them yourself — you're inadvertently teaching them that their behaviour is acceptable. The one thing you can count on is to expect more of it. More broken promises. More turning up late. More cut corners. More excuses. More missed deadlines. More shoddy work. And along with these, more frustration, mistrust, stress and resentment. ...