One Percent Leadership™ – Leading the Accountability of Others

For all of the business-speak we hear about accountability, why is it so challenging to hold others accountable for their own actions and results? It’s not unusual to have uncertainties about holding others responsible; our firm recently researched and established five reasons why it’s so easier said than done. More important, we list ways we can hold ourselves accountable. So, why is it so awkward?

1. We fear offending someone or jeopardizing a personal relationship. When we work with someone for ten hours each day, it’s expected that camaraderie and friendships will develop. One of my dearest friends, today, was a fellow lobbyist back in my political advocacy days. Every day, we had results that our CEO expected from us. From the beginning, we communicated what we expected from each other and what each of us would produce. Our success was dependent upon fulfilling professional promises to one another. Friendship aside, we had a job to do and much was expected of us.
2. A sentiment that we lack the time to follow up successfully. To make use of a double negative, we don’t have the time to not follow up effectively. Follow up should not be an exercise in micromanagement; follow up should be a strategy to make certain all plans and expected results are proceeding as intended. Follow up should consist of three steps: set the plan and expectations; at mid-course, discuss progress and any necessary corrections; and, review results and required changes for the next endeavor. Follow up is a skill required, and expected, of leaders.
3. A lack of confidence that follow up will make a difference. If we find ourselves fretting that failure is looming or we’ll end up carrying the load ourselves, we have failed as managers and leaders. Follow up – be it a five-minute check-in, review of the day, or strategy for the week – makes a difference. Quite often, follow up is the difference. Most sales, goals, and results aren’t lost at inception; they’re lost in the follow up and fine-tuning along the way.
4. A concern that, by holding someone else accountable, we may make known our own setback. This is an area where we develop most as leaders. It’s often troublesome to accept that we are answerable for managing the results of others. But, management and leadership are not merely assigning tasks and goals and allowing our staff members to brave the new world. Leadership involves the assignment of roles and assurance of success for those in the roles. Failing to do either unsuccessfully does make public failure of leadership. Holding others – and helping others remain – accountable is significant to our success as leaders.
5. Fear that action, on our part, may initiate budding retribution. Failing to discharge our responsibilities because of latent political plays by others isn’t leadership, it’s apprehension. Valid leadership involves making a completely knowledgeable decision that yields the best results. Compromise and conciliation are, often, a part of the ultimate decision. Fear – and yielding to it – should not be a part of our follow up and, ensuing, decisions. Confidence in our direction, buy-in from our team, and agreement on each party’s responsibility makes follow up and accountability a normal part of leadership – one that’s expected and respected.

One Percent Leadership™ — Investing in Your Community

How does a small- to mid-sized corporation make an enduring difference in its community? By unearthing a local cause and committing to produce THE difference.

My enterprise has been blessed in countless respects – magnificent clients, a pioneering industry, and increasing revenues and profits each year. Like scores of executives, I entertain calls and letters each month in relation to supporting this or that charity or community assemblage. One wants to lend a hand but, as a business owner, one also has restricted resources coupled with the aspiration to create a long-term difference (on balance, it’s in our blood).

Several years ago, my wife and her neighboring MOMS Club members required some support transporting donated food, toiletries, and everyday items to our local Settlement House, a community-based organization to be of assistance to disadvantaged families. We loaded up the SUV and down the hill we went.

At the Settlement House, my wife and now four year-old daughter helped me unpack the truck of the necessaries of life. As I stacked case after case of items from Sam’s Club, I made eye contact with a man who stood before me with his wife and four year-old daughter. For that instant in time, we were one and the same in all that matters most – two men doing their best to provide for their families. I immediately distinguished where my company could make THE difference in my community. For all of the $250 and $500 contributions made to numerous excellent charities, not any made such a difference as combining those amounts to repeatedly make THE difference for my home Settlement House. Rising Above Enterprises has made THE major difference since.

Where can your venture make THE difference in serving your community? Could you make financial arrangements so that three-fourths of your philanthropic resources go to one local charitable trust or foundation? There’s still room for some good quality mixed causes, but what a statement of leadership to truly distinguish THE difference your company can create. This year, settle on on a cause and make a colossal, if not THE, difference. You’ll observe more than your dollars and volunteer time at work; you will witness elite results from your focused efforts. That’s a resilient model of One Percent Leadership™.

Corporate Boards – The Shortfall of Conventional Wisdom

Much like the conventional thoughts of how Board’s operate, there exist conventional ideas of who makes for a good Board member. The following list describes common beliefs (in bold) about the requirements to construct a high-quality Board and the regular practices of an elite Board.

1. Board members should be current or former CEOs. The skills required of a CEO are unlike than those for a Board member. CEOs must be hands-on and ready to execute strategy. Boards are more hands-off and oversee strategy. Further, only a small fraction of Board members regularly acquire education on governance expertise. While valuable to a Board, members who are external CEOs should receive schooling on successful governance skills.
2. The past CEO should be on the Board. Assuming the previous CEO resigned or retired on fine terms, some Boards keep or place the former CEO on the Board for historical reasons or stability of leadership. The principal challenge is the de facto passing on of leadership to the current CEO. Does the previous CEO’s presence help, hinder, or hurt the leadership influence of the existing CEO? Do the Board and former CEO ruminate on “how we did it in the past” versus what the present CEO believes should occur in the future?
3. Board members should be more seasoned. Many Boards are made up of members who have been on the Board for many years, sometimes many decades. While age is not a limiting factor for serving on the Board, does your Board adequately represent the demographics of your customer base? Some Boards may press to add greater numbers of youth to the Board as a balance measure. Does this take away from experience? The key is to discuss, as a Board, how your ideal Board might look, in a demographic sense. Then, over time, work to nominate or appoint Directors who fit that need.
4. Being financially invested in the company is a reliable qualification. Equity involvement does not always equal complete commitment. A very large segment of Board members for Fortune 500 companies hold very small proportion of their investable assets in the stock of the company they serve as a director. And while using your company’s products or services extensively demonstrates consumer commitment, it doesn’t mean much in terms of governance skills.
5. Regular Board meeting attendance equals appropriate governance. A popular motivational phrase might read, “99 percent of life is showing up,” but that is not the case as a measurement of successful Board habits and skills. Being physically present is extremely important; however, how one engages during a Board meeting is more essential.
6. Large Boards and committees make for better governance. A large number of Board members may add defense for a diverse Board argument, but it usually ends up as a case study for too many “hands in the pot.” The optimal size for most Boards is seven since it is large enough for an assortment of viewpoints, yet small enough to manage properly. Boards larger than seven in number work best when each Board member is wholly engaged and committed to following the tasks where the Board wants most involvement.
7. Independence makes for best governance. In principle, the lion’s shares of all Boards are independent. The accountants and examiners can verify it in their annual reports. However, because a Board is independent does not make that Board engaged and effective. Many of the publicly-traded company disasters of the past decade were businesses with an, officially, independent Board. Only the habits of progressive, engaged Boards make for the best levels of governance.

Protect Your Capital at the Capitol

With all of the impending laws, regulations, new agencies, and checks on your enterprise coming from legislative and regulatory bodies around the country, what does an executive do? Hang on for the unavoidable and fiddle with a business model as a result? No.

The E1™ executive advances and defends his commercial wellbeing by developing and upholding political influence in capitals around the land.

As a former, successful lobbyist to the United States’ Congress, I’m often asked what it takes to build genuine, long-lasting influence with elected officials. My answer is always straightforward and twofold: 1) Local executives have the most influence with Congress or any Legislature for that matter; and, 2) For each issue, a legislator has a handful of people he consults with initially. These people have the most amount of influence with the legislator. Are you on that speed dial list?

Influence is much more than writing a timely letter, inundating a lawmaker’s phone system with calls, or joining a lawmaker’s society of ambassadors, champions, and friends. It’s a fine place to start, but – for all intents and purposes – it results in franking privilege letters and the annual Capitol Christmas Calendar.

Straight from the horses’ mouths (Members of Congress shared this with me), here’s what it takes for an executive leader to secure influence and protect his capital at the Capitol.

1. Make governmental affairs business-as-usual, not just-in-time or as-needed. The most influential organizations and corporations are the most consistent with time, effort, and resources. They include governmental relations in their strategic plans and annual budget allocations. They require that a senior-level executive, as an official part of his job, represent the organization before government leaders. Ultimately, they recognize that bona fide influence rests in the hands of only some, and they build systems to be a part of that set.
   
2. Clarify, with solid information, the effect that laws and regulations have on your business. The best lobbyist is the local business owner or manager. After all, he understands the real world outcomes that happen on the corner of Fifth & Main. Communicating how your business back home is affected adds authenticity to your position. Be conscious that your competitors may be selling a different story. Are their statements accurate? Do you have a detailed reply? Do you have a solution? Provide this type of information as you build trust in this relationship.
   
3. Be valued as the trusted resource on your industry’s matters. Trust takes time, commitment, and reliability. For this reason, regular face time is indispensable. Since legislators serve numerous constituents and assess thousands of legislative bills, you may spend plenty of time with their key staff members. That’s OK; In fact, it’s rather valuable since key staff members are the minds behind your issues and the eyes and ears of the legislators. Building trust with staff builds trust with the legislator. In due course, your relationship with both grows to be a productive partnership.
   
4. Invest in the careers of those who invest in your issues. Money – you knew the subject was imminent. In politics, two rules apply: 1) Get elected; and, 2) Get reelected. Both take time and money. You’ll recollect from Point #1 above that “bona fide influence rests in the hands of only some.” These “some” supply money and time. Personal contributions matter most. You can’t deduct, for income tax purposes, political contributions. These monies come from the cash flow you produce and make use of through life. Legislators appreciate the sacrifice often involved. Coordinated and PAC contributions show unity. Perhaps the legislator championing your industry lives on the other side of your state. Clearly, your interests aren’t his constituents, but his backing of your cause affects your customers. This is a friend you want to keep in office, even if they serve another neck-of-the-wood. Campaign volunteer contributions show commitment. Conceivably more important than campaign money is the time required to administer a political campaign. Your leg work in helping a legislator win office pays dividends for a very long time.
   
5. Take a public stand on your issues and candidates’ stances. Use your internal communications and the local media to discuss business issues. State your case in your newsletter. Write an Op-Ed in your local newspaper. Let your customers know how laws and regulations affect your business, as well as the products, services, and prices that your customers obtain. If you’re willing and legally able, communicate with your ownership politically, i.e., “Vote for Bob” or “Don’t vote for Bob.” Express endorsement is a competitive advantage and allows lawmakers to recognize that you have influence and the ability to speak politically to your owners.
   

At the end of the day, executives – and the organizations they lead – that adhere to these steps to lasting political influence will prevail. In spite of everything – and for as long as we can see in our mind’s eye – legislators and regulators will endeavor to pass and implement laws and regulations that help or hinder your business. The E1™ executive understands that he needs a leading voice in this course of action. He needs to always protect his firm’s capital at the Capitol.

Building E1™ Team Trust

Like it or not, all teams are potentially impaired. This is inevitable because they are made up of imperfect, limited human beings. From the basketball court to the executive suite, politics and uncertainty are more the rule than the exception. However, facing the test and focusing on teamwork is chiefly significant at the top of an organization because the executive team sets the tone for how all employees work with one another.

A client, the founder of a billion dollar company, best articulated the clout of teamwork when he once told me, “If you could get all the people in the organization paddling in the same direction, you could lead any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”

Whenever I repeat this maxim to a group of leaders, they without delay nod their heads, but in a distracted sort of way. They seem to take hold of the truth of it while in chorus surrendering to the impracticality of truly making it happen.

Fortunately, there is hope. Counter to conventional wisdom, the causes of low team trust are both identifiable and curable. However, they don’t die easily. Making a team efficient and interconnected requires levels of guts and restraint that many groups cannot seem to gather.

Addressing the Challenges

To begin improving your team and to better appreciate the level of contest you are facing, ask yourself these simple questions:

• Do team members candidly and willingly make known their views?
• Are team meetings gripping and dynamic?
• Does the team come to decisions rapidly and steer clear of getting bogged down by agreement?
• Do team members face one another about their limitations?
• Do team members forgo their own wellbeing for the good of the team?

Although no team is ideal and even the best teams sometimes tussle with one or more of these issues, the most excellent organizations constantly work to make certain that their answers are “yes.” If you answered “no” to many of these questions, your team may need some work.

The first step toward reducing politics and misunderstanding within your team is to understand that there are challenges to compete with, and address each that applies, one by one.

The Challenges

Challenge #1: Lack of Trust

This takes place when team members are hesitant to be open to the elements with one another and are disinclined to admit their oversights, weak points, or needs for help. Without a certain comfort level among team members, a base of trust is impossible.

The E1™ Plan

• Identify and discuss individual strengths and weaknesses.
• Spend considerable time in face-to-face meetings and working sessions.

Challenge #2: Lack of Conflict

Teams that are deficient on trust are unable of engaging in unfiltered, ardent discussion about key issues, causing situations where team disagreement can easily turn into roundabout discussions and back channel remarks. In a work setting where team members do not openly expose their opinions, second-rate decisions are the result.

The E1™ Plan

• Recognize that conflict is required for industrious meetings.
  
• Understand individual team member’s ordinary conflict styles, and set up common ground rules for engaging in conflict.
  
  

Challenge #3: Lack of Loyalty

Without conflict, it is tricky for team members to commit to decisions, creating an atmosphere where doubt prevails. Lack of direction and assurance can make employees, particularly star employees, discontented.

The E1™ Plan

• Evaluate commitments at the end of each meeting to make certain all team members are allied.
• Accept a “disagree and commit” mindset making sure that all team members are committed apart from initial disagreements.

Challenge #4: Lack of Accountability

When teams don’t commit to an understandable plan of action, even the most alert and motivated individuals think twice about calling their peers on actions and behaviors that may seem counterproductive to the by and large good of the team.

The E1™ Plan

• Plainly communicate goals and standards of behavior.
• Frequently talk about performance versus goals and standards.

Lack #5: Lack of Results

Team members unsurprisingly tend to put their own needs (ego, career development, acknowledgment, etc.) ahead of the cooperative goals of the team when individuals aren’t held responsible. If a team has lost sight of the need for achievement, the business in due course suffers.

The E1™ Plan

• Keep the team focused on concrete group goals.
  
• Reward individuals based on team goals and shared success.
  

 

The Treasure

Striving to construct a purposeful, unified team is one of the few remaining competitive advantages available to any organization looking for a powerful point of differentiation. Well-designed teams avoid wasting time talking about the wide of the mark issues and revisiting the same topics over and over again because of lack of buy-in. Purposeful teams also make higher quality decisions and achieve more in less time and with less diversion and aggravation. Additionally, “A” players seldom leave organizations where they are part of a solid team.

Flourishing teamwork is not about mastering slight, chic theories, but rather about accepting common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence. As luck would have it, teams do well because they are extraordinarily human. By recognizing the weaknesses of their humanity, members of practical teams triumph over the natural tendencies that make teamwork so hard to pin down.