Good Habits #36: Be Accountable

[February 20, 2018]  U.S. President Harry S Truman had a sign on his desk that was there to show he personally accepted responsibility for the way the country was run.  The sign read, “The buck stops here.”  Good habits by leaders start at accepting responsibility for their actions and the best leaders do this daily.

Leaders don’t try to shift the blame onto others because they are accountable for what happens and for what doesn’t happen in regard to their own behavior.  Many leaders will resist this idea because, as the logic goes, they simply follow orders or are fearful of being unfairly blamed for things not their fault.  That idea went out at the Nuremberg Nazi Trials after World War II.

“The ancient Romans had a tradition: Whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound way possible: He stood under the arch.” – Michael Armstrong

Like the Ancient Roman engineer, the buck stops here is more than just words on an office sign.  It’s a philosophy of leadership with a material meaning that no one else is answerable for any failure that occurs.  If the arch fell, it would matter little if he could have blamed someone else for its collapse.

While serving as a U.S. Artillery Captain during World War I, Truman captured the respect and admiration of his men because they knew he would not shift the blame on them for the unit’s failures.  He earned their trust by backing them up.  Truman didn’t learn accountability during the war but it was reinforced upon him that it works.

Great leaders understand the concept of accountability and what it means to those who worked for them.  I’ve been fortunate to have worked for those, like Truman, who are accountable.  The freedom it gave me knowing that my boss would have my back was a relief.

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• Good Habits #1: Never Assume Anything: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-1-never-assume-anything/
• Good Habits #2: Walk Around and Talk with People: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-2-walk-around-talk-people/
• Good Habits #3: Read Mission-Related Material: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-3-read-mission-related-material/
• Good Habits #4: Take the Initiative: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-4-take-the-initiative/
• Good Habits #5: Effective Use of Time: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-5-effective-use-of-time/
• Good Habits #6: Show the Human Side: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-6-show-the-human-side/
• Good Habits #7: Speak Properly:  https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-7-speak-properly/
• Good Habits #8: Transparency: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-8-transparency/
• Good Habits #9: Continuous Learning: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-9-continuous-learning/
• Good Habits #10: Make No Excuses: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-10-make-no-excuses/
• Good Habits #11: Thinking Out Loud: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-11-thinking-out-loud/
• Good Habits #12: Ability to Make Hard Decisions: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-12-ability-to-make-hard-decisions/
• Good Habits #13: Be Conscientious and Timely: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-13-be-conscientious-and-timely/
• Good Habits #14: Being Honest and Straight Forward: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-14-being-honest-and-straight-forward/
• Good Habits #15: Giving Credit Where It’s Due: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-15-giving-credit-where-its-due/
• Good Habits #16: Walk the Walk: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-16-walk-the-walk/
• Good Habits #17: Politely Accept Feedback: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-17-politely-accept-feedback/
• Good Habits #18: Have a Sense of Humor: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-18-have-a-sense-of-humor/
• Good Habits #19: Adhere to the Golden Rule: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-19-adhere-to-the-golden-rule/
• Good Habits #20: Forget Perfection: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-20-forget-perfection/
• Good Habits #21: Be Open to New Ideas: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-21-be-open-to-new-ideas/
• Good Habits #22: Be a Sounding Board: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-22-sounding-board/
• Good Habits #23: Treat People Fairly: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-23-treat-people-fairly/
• Good Habits #24: Ask ‘Who Needs to Know’: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-24-ask-needs-know/
• Good Habits #25: Be Generous: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-25-generous/
• Good Habits #26: Be a Paragon of Standards: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-26-paragon-standards/
• Good Habits #27: Have Patience: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-27-patience/
• Good Habits #28: Look Like a Leader: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-28-look-like-leader/
• Good Habits #29: Smile: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-29-smile/
• Good Habits #30: Give a Simple Thank-You: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-30-give-simple-thank/
• Good Habits #31: Show Your Passion: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-31-show-passion/
• Good Habits #32: Ask Good Questions: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-32-ask-good-questions/
• Good Habits #33: Be a Teacher: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-33-teacher/
• Good Habits #34: Be Approachable: https://www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-34-approachable/
• Good Habits #35: Prioritize the Important: www.theleadermaker.com/good-habits-35-prioritize-important/