PRINCIPLES in BUSINESS: the principles that shape exceptional organisations

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MESSAGE BOARD: Issue 8. July 2008

Hello and welcome to the July 2008 Message Board from PiB, the 8th in our series of monthly news and articles on corporate life, leadership and of course, the 3Ps approach. If you missed previous Message Boards, you can retrieve them from the PiB Message Board archive.

As usual, my appreciation for your emailed comments. Remember, you can phone me personally, anytime - my phone number is at the bottom of this message.
Enjoy this issue... peace, David.

IN THIS ISSUE

News & Events

The Message Board Feature Article:
this month we are exploring Accountability... what it is at its essence, and the influence its abscence brings to bear. More food for thought...

We Are What We Do
our regular column with insightful ideas to reflect on...

Subscriber & Privacy Information

NEWS & EVENTS

As you know, we recently added Collected Works to our portfolio of resources - free downloadable articles from selected authors, teachers, international consultants, lifetime-students and practitioners of the 3 Principles approach. Since last month, we have been working hard to expand the collection. To read our latest articles right now, click here

THE MESSAGE BOARD FEATURE ARTICLE

Being Accountable

Being Accountable: are we up for what it takes?

If there is one area in life people struggle with it is accountability - that is, our ability or willingness to be accountable for what we do, or fail to do. Being accountable infers many things, though the following short-list would immediately come to mind: integrity, reliability, trustworthiness, respect...

As far as the workplace is concerned, clearly, accountability is more than just doing your job. It includes a desire to make things better, to pursue excellence, and to do things in ways that further the goals of the organisation (1).
1. The Power of Accountability Dianne Schilling www.womensmedia.com

If you are anything like me, the following might occasionally be true:

  • Saying yes when the response should have been no
  • Saying yes before negotiating and clarifying competing priorities
  • Or saying yes as you recognise that the task will negatively impact your ability to deliver on core tasks
  • Even worse, saying yes out of duty, or fear of others' reactions
  • Or saying no out of bloody-mindedness or resentment

And of course any of the foregoing might lead to the dreaded cry from a colleague, in effect the calling to account with "Dave, have you finished that paperwork yet?" And so many of us go on the defence, with:

  • "Sorry, I'll get on to it now" - knowing that we've wasted time on non-essential jobs
  • "S..t! Is it that time already… sorry… it won't take me long" - as we reluctantly move away from yet another gossip-fest
  • Or the defensive belligerence of "What’s the big deal?"

Unaccountable people are into excuses. They blame others, put things off, do the minimum (scraping by on that outcomes-based assignment), act confused or sometimes, play helpless. They redirect responsibility somewhere else, generally being quick to complain and slow to act.

In organisations, unaccountability is a highly contagious disease which is not only a reflection of the individuals but more seriously, a reflection of the dysfunctional nature of the cultural values that exist within the company itself. As human beings, another consequence of our own unaccountability is that we tend not to keep others accountable. So we are caught in an ever increasing spiral of ineffective action and a downright failure to act.

That wonderful Australianism 'She'll be right!' both encapsulates and disguises the corrosive nature of our attitude to accountability. Its effect though, is to imprison us in our mental habits. We have every intention to hold ourselves and others accountable next time - yet our feelings do not contain the energy for change. At the next circumstance, we forget about our inner resolve.

Leadership: listening to our inner cues

One critical skill available to us, a skill which is in essence an intention of the heart, is to listen more deeply. Listening is not just about listening to others. It is also about how we listen to ourselves. How many times do we say ‘I'll do it later’ and deep inside, hear the failure inherent in that statement, its irresponsibility; and its repercussions.

Are we willing to admit failure, and act differently in future? As leaders, are we willing to require something more of ourselves and others? And importantly, are we listening to our inner cues - the thinking, unproductive habits and attitudes that habituate our world - and take action?

Those inner cues, the signposts to a new frame of mind, are all in our feelings. Feelings tell us so much, if we have the ears to hear their message. Poor feelings, rage, resentment... they are all about a conflicted and judgemental mind. Feelings are not responding to circumstances but to our State of Mind in that moment. Listening to our feelings provides us with the opportunity to experience a fresh way of engaging with life.

Those small inner cues are signposts to a new frame of mind, and are ALL in our feelings. Feelings tell us so much, if we listen...

Have you ever been surprised by a sudden turn in the road and later realised that you failed to see the road sign indicating the change of conditions? Have you come up to an intersection and deliberately ignored the orange light? Have you ever fought with a door that would not open then suddenly realised that you were pulling rather than pushing? How many tearooms have ‘Please keep the kitchen tidy’, writ large to an oblivious audience?

Our inner signposts (our feelings) are pointing us to the new, and an opportunity to be free of all our pre-conditioned thinking...

Signs function by assisting us to see the change in conditions. In a broader sense, they are an opportunity to change our behaviour; if we are awake to them. If we are metaphorically asleep at the wheel, those signs go unheeded. Our inner voice is saying 'listen!' while our feelings, our indignation and resentment, are a consequence of our refusal to hear. Unless we are prepared to listen and act differently, life will stay the same. Unless we see that our thinking distracts us, that our feelings are not natural reactions to circumstances 'out there’ but a reflection of our state of mind; we will continue to miss the inner signposts. They are there for a commonsense reason. They are pointing us to the new - an opportunity to be free of all our pre-conditioned thinking.

Dianne Schilling provides the following for improvement in being more accountable:

1. Listen. Careful, attentive listening helps you gather up-to-date, accurate information, identify problem situations and promote collaboration.
2. Question. Seek out information and ideas.
3. Invite and offer feedback.

That engagement, through listening and seeking to see the sign on the side of the road is an invitation to see the conditions ahead, and it is our state of mind at the time that determines how well we see. Our responsiveness, our accountability, our behaviour and our connectedness to life's signposts (metaphorical or real) is what defines true leadership; in life and in business.

Accountability? What we want for the world, we ourselves must become...

It's a powerful thought isn't it?

© David Bodman 2008.
Permission to copy for personal use is granted. For other publication rights please contact the author.

WE ARE WHAT WE DO

To most of us, Discipline is a word that denotes rigour and harshness, especially for those in positions of authority. Much of its application is seen as removing a bad habit and replacing it with a better one, or defining the boundaries outside of which you do not stray. As for self-discipline, it can denote an unrelenting disapproval of our personal weaknesses and evidence of a lack of commitment on our part to improve. Over the years, in the coach to client setting, I have observed "You are very hard on yourself…" and asked "Does it do you any good?" Typically, the reply is "No" and in disheartened mood "What else can I do?"

Many of us forget that we have a "good heart" and a deep yearning to bring to life our better selves. The discipline we all need is to confirm and strengthen our inner goodness, and see, really see, that this natural good heart of ours is "just there". You see, by way of a new discipline, we can suspend our critical, judgmental and often disrespectful view of ourselves. We can harness our true selves.

This new discipline is being conscious to the power of a new thought - and simultaneously, it is a seeing and a willingness to suspend the punishing criticism we level at ourselves. And it serves our inner good heart, supporting a more authentic accountability to who we really are.

Until next time... David.

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