Eliminating EXCUSES:Being Accountable for

Your Own Success

A Requirement for Life and Business Advancement

Natalie B. Bryant , M.A. – SOM Director of Practice Development

New Year’s

RESOLUTIONS

AccountabilityO To give an accounting of – To answer forYour choicesYour actionsYour outcomes

The Price Paid for aLack of Accountability

OWasted time covering your tailOPointed fingers and blamed others

OFelt powerless and out of control

ODidn’t know what to doOWasn’t personally vestedOIgnored problemsOWaited too late to act

What percentage of YOUR SUCCESS

is up to YOU vs Outside

Conditions?OChoicesOActions/BehaviorsOOutcomes

85%

Good News…..O Not just a Mind SetO Skill Set that can be LEARNED!

Three Step ProcessO Clarifying Responsibilities

O Taking the Initiative

O Owning the Outcome

Clarifying Responsibility

O RoleO ProcessesO Check ListO WHO does WHAT?O Overlap?O Gaps?

Clarifying Responsibility

O Manage ExpectationsAsk questionsMake agreementsClarify everythingWhat's expected of everyone including YOU!

Clarifying Responsibility

O Recognize YOUR AUTHORITYKnow your powerIf you don’t take care of YOUR responsibilities, someone else will.

Result – YOU are no longer needed.

Giving that power away only happens with your permission!

Taking the InitiativeO Self Empowerment

Take Actions/Risks for desired outcome

Seek out available resources

Step outside your comfort zone

Find the motivation

Taking the Initiative

OResponsibilities

OActions and Choices

OGoals and Outcomes

Set SMART GoalsO SpecificO MeasurableO AchievableO RelevantO Time - Bound

Taking the InitiativeO Control YOUR time

Set Goals – Make a planTrack projects and deadlinesResist over-schedulingEstimate realistic time commitments

“NO” is an empowering word

Owning the OutcomeO Police Yourself

Hold yourself accountableDon’t depend on others to do it

Don’t blame others or make excuses

Choose accountability, even if not caught by others!

Owning the Outcome

O Tell the TruthEveryone messes upTo lie/cover up – makes it worse

Honesty builds respect and trust

Owning the OutcomeO When trouble arises, look at YOURSELF first.

What is the problem?

What are YOU doing/not doing that contributed to problem?

How can YOU solve the problem?

Learn from the Outcome

OBe Accountable for results! How will YOU handle

failures Analyze the outcome

Roses Blossoms Thorns

Do you have the COURAGEto examine YOUR

PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY?

OQuantify your perceptionsOQuantify anonymously your superiors, colleagues, and subordinates perceptions

OHow do they compare?

Questionnair

e

Comparison

Benefits of Being Accountable

O O O O O O

Three Step ProcessO Clarifying Responsibilities

O Taking the Initiative

O Owning the Outcome

Be SMART!O Make the commitmentO Never require anyone else to hold YOU accountable

O Take control of YOUR job and YOUR life!

New Year’s

RESOLUTIONS

EXCUSES

Choose

to be

ACCOUNTABLE!

Bibliography & Suggested Reading

O Barron, G & Crenshaw , J. , Leadership Without Excuses: How to Create Accountability and High-Performance; McGraw Hill Publisher, 2012

O Connors, R., Hickman, C., Smith, Thomas & Tom, The OZ Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability; Prentice Hall Press, October 1998.

O Galindo, Linda. The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success – No Nonsense, No Excuses; Jossey Bass Publications, October 2009.

O Samuel, Mark. Making Yourself Indispensable: The Power of Personal Accountability ; Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, April 2012