How to Stay Brutally Accredited by Your Boss - 4 Steps to Brutally Accountable Business Leadership
The most powerful skill you can learn to become a better leader is how to stay brutally accountable. You must be accountable to yourself first. Then you must be brutally accountable to your team. If you aren't personally accountable to anyone, you won't get very far in business. Business success is a result of three things: vision, values and action. Without a strong combination of these, you have no chance of becoming a leader.
Vision is your business' purpose. Have you created a vision for your company or your personal career? How would you describe it? Where do you see it going? Do your leaders have a vision for their business and for themselves?
Values are the core beliefs and principles that form the foundation of your business or your personal life. These must be held by everyone who works for you. Your employees must believe in your mission, values and goals above all else.
Action is how you get the results you desire in your business. Are you prepared to take massive actions to move your business forward? Do you feel like you're getting away from what you enjoy? Are you willing to put passion into your work every day?
Leadership is about inspiring, motivating and influencing people to become the best they can be. Are you a leader who exhibits these qualities? Are you a leader who inspires people? Are you a good example?
To become a leader, you must first be accountable to yourself. You'll never have true leadership until you recognize your own flaws and mistakes and own them. By being accountable to yourself, you won't procrastinate and will have more time to focus on building your business. As a leader who cares about his or her team, you'll also have a great sense of urgency because you know that your personal and business goals are intertwined.
The third thing you need to do to become a leader who cares is to make sure that you have a plan of action. It's amazing how many people read off a piece of paper or an internet article, but don't follow through with any kind of action. A great leader understands that there are no guarantees. There are no guarantees that by tomorrow morning, everything will be perfect. You have to be willing to take that risk. Sure, it might not be the best option, but it will be the best decision you'll ever make for your future business growth.
Finally, your accountability also includes your integrity. As a leader, you have to be honest and transparent with your followers. People respect a leader who is transparent. It shows them that you're concerned about them and their future. When you show integrity, your business will grow and people will respect you and your leadership.
One of the biggest things that is so often overlooked in business today is trust. If you don't trust your employees, you won't get the results you want. Trust is an important element in every relationship, including between your boss and your employees. When trust is there, your business will flourish.
Just as important as trust is, respect is even more essential. Respect for other people is earned, not given. Give your employees what they deserve so they'll appreciate and respect you as a leader.
This brings us to the fourth step. In order to stay brutal when you're leading your business, you have to have a plan. You have to know how far you want to take your business. If you've underestimated the potential growth of your business, you'll be disappointed. If you've overestimated, you'll be fearful.
You can learn all the strategies and tactics you need to win with this step alone, but if you're not willing to act on those strategies and tactics, you'll never get anywhere. Don't ever underestimate your abilities. If you do, you'll be disappointed from day one.