How To Claim Your Leadership Power

Is there anyone else here a parent who has ever struggled to get their kids out the door on time? So, you know, right? It's like herding kittens. My husband and I would start nagging our three daughters long before it was time to leave, but that evidently wasn't working because we were always late for everything.

However, one day was a complete Gong Show: five minutes before we had to leave for an important event, I found my oldest daughter reading on the porch, my middle daughter playing the piano, and my youngest daughter not wearing any socks. I told them to stop reading, stop playing the piano, put on their socks, and get in the car. Five minutes later, nobody was within the vehicle. My oldest daughter was still reading on the porch when I noticed her and went to help her with her socks. Now I'm getting very crazy. Her answer? "I didn't hear you." But the piano began to play again before I could say anything more. That's the tale of how I went insane, I laugh. The conclusion. All I wanted was for my girls to accept some responsibility for leaving the house on time.

However, I then realized something I share with management teams. Before you can encourage responsibility in others, you must first practice it yourself. That's when I realized that I was completely blaming my daughters for this issue and wasn't taking any responsibility for it. Thus, I took a new tack and glanced at myself in the mirror. What actions did I take, or did I not take, that might have contributed to this issue? Then it dawned on me. I was aware of when they had to finish their meal and get dressed, groomed, and ready to go. However, did they? I was aware of the time as well, but I saw that their bathrooms lacked clocks, suggesting that they were in a dimension distinct from mine in which time did not exist. Resolution. I hung the schedule in a shared space and placed large clocks all over the place.

Furthermore, what do you know? It did in fact work. Even if we still struggle to leave in time, this is a big improvement over the previous situation. I had stumbled into the same pitfall that numerous people in leadership roles tend to fall into the trap of assigning blame for an issue without taking into account my own role in it. While working with leadership teams, I came across three effective practices that improve other people's performance. The three habits of personal accountability is what I refer to it as. First habit: Assume nothing. Second habit: Gaze into the mirror. Third habit: Create the answer.

This series of behaviors influences other people's conduct in an almost magical way. And your outcomes are better. It's not just for managers and CEOs, though. I mean, aren't we all trying to make other people better? as a volunteer, a coworker, or a parent. Why these routines are effective is explained here. First habit: Assume nothing. When was the last time you held someone accountable for something? How did it happen? Most likely not very well. This is due to the fact that our minds process blame in the same manner as they interpret physical assault.

The fight-or-flight reaction, which is triggered by blame, essentially shuts down our prefrontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for addressing problems. Therefore, it didn't inspire my daughters when I became irate with them. In fact, it was affecting the way their brains worked. Dr. Amy Edmondson conducted research on hospital teams to determine how culture influences people's propensity to disclose medical errors. She was surprised to learn that the high-performing teams reported more errors than she had anticipated. Why? People are more inclined to own up to their mistakes and grow from them when they don't feel like the cause of the problem.

However, in blame-cultures, individuals tend to conceal issues or blame somebody else. Nobody will accept responsibility if they believe they will be held accountable for it. Blame shatters initiative, learning, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Pointing out blames destroys the responsibility. Then, what ought to we do in its place?

The second habit gaze at yourself in the mirror. While most of us are really adept at pointing out other people's errors, we're not so good at recognizing our own role in issues. My assistant helped me ship out hundreds of dollars' worth of marketing packages to potential customers once. No answers three weeks later. I then looked at one of the cover letters. It stated, "Dear Mr. Smith, [insert company name here.]" Every letter had a variable field that she overlooked. Several thousand dollars lost. Now, she was unable to overlook it. Having said that, I do not claim to be the cause of every issue. However, when I examine my issues more deeply, I usually find that they are partially or completely the result of something I did or did not do. I can take action to address an issue if I recognize my role in it, which is a brilliant realization. Consider trying this the next time you run across an issue. Consider how you could have helped with this issue. Following up a few weeks later to assess the progress made.

I reintroduced these principles to a construction company. This is the account that a project manager told me. Team meetings frequently devolve into blame sessions due to our general manager's tendency toward assigning blame." Still, things went significantly differently at that meeting the week after you taught us these principles. Our general manager, seeing a problem, was ready to take the person he believed to be at fault to task. But after a while, he paused, buried his face in his palm, raised it, and stated, "This is how I think I contributed to the problem." The tone of that meeting abruptly altered. Then something I had never seen before caught my attention. 'No, boss, it wasn't simply your fault,' other people started to raise their hands." I believe that this is how I added to the issue." Leaders who own up to their own problems first provide a safe space for others to follow suit.

Furthermore, if no one else does suit, you've gained the right and the moral standing to inquire, "And how may you have contributed to this problem?" We must hold ourselves accountable before we can expect others to accept our ability to hold them accountable. What if the reason for your issue isn't what you initially believed it to be?

Third Habit: Design the answer. Our brains are programmed to focus on the person nearest to the problem and overlook other factors when awful things happen. Thankfully, a solution exists. Seeing how the environment and processes affect behavior is known as "systems thinking." When the US Air Force discovered that many of its aircraft were crashing without any mechanical issues around the conclusion of World War II, systems thinking was born. Their judgment? "Our pilots are idiots." So they hired some advisors to assist them in choosing pilots who made fewer mistakes. The consultants found they didn't have a pilot problem after doing some research. They had a cockpit issue. Pilots might misinterpret gear handles that were next to each other, for example, even though they didn't look or feel the same. If they were in a different position or a different model of plane, they may have jumbled up the controls.

The consultants determined that if you design better cockpits, there will be fewer crashes. In order to solve the problem, the US Air Force simplified the cockpit's design. In a similar vein, after I gave up trying to blame my girls, I became aware of the outside influences on their actions. In order to give them the information they required, I devised the answer by installing clocks and a schedule.

Recall that you must provide an example of accountability for others before you can encourage it in them. Try this series of behaviors the next time you run into a dilemma to see how it affects your results. Don't assign blame. Examine yourself in the mirror and design the fix. Be the alteration you wish to see in other people. There have to be more people in our world who take responsibility for issues and find answers. In our homes, offices, and communities. The trick is that people around you will follow your example as you model these actions. It has a magical quality. I'm grateful.