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    You are here Home » accountability

    Great Leaders Stand Up and Take Responsibility

    Last updated on Nov 14, 2017 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest
    post from Lloyd “Skip“ Amstrup:

    Imagine you are sitting in your office when your assistant
    rushes in to tell you that your security system has been breached. Sensitive
    customer information has been compromised. You get a chill down your spine, as
    you struggle to maintain your composer. Your assistant dreaded having to make
    this announcement, fully expecting a highly charged emotional outburst. She
    anxiously awaits your response.

    This incident will test your true leadership ability to
    remain calm, rational, and to demonstrate your ability to take charge under
    pressure. You could start the “blame game” by immediately finding fault with
    your security software or your IT team. You could hurriedly create a “damage
    control plan” to minimize the problem. You could simply pull out the bottle of
    whiskey you have in your bottom drawer and take a few shots.

    The prudent leader would first seek to get all of the
    needed relevant information by gathering his or her key advisors to review the
    situation. He or she would immediately contact his or her superiors to let them
    know about the situation, while letting them know that his or her team was
    working to identify the scope of the issue, followed by the formulation of the
    needed corrective action. The leader would give his superiors a specific time
    he or she would report back.

    As the details are ascertained, the team should determine
    their course of action, keeping the impact to their customers as their prime
    focus. They will need to make a timely announcement to their customers
    identifying what happened, what the impact is to the individual customers, what
    will be done to correct the situation and by creating a communication channel
    to field customer questions and concerns. A customer-focused approach will go a
    long way toward maintaining the integrity of the company, which will now be
    subject to intense scrutiny.

    Good leaders stand up and take responsibility. They replace
    excuse making with full disclosure and offering an effective plan for recovery.
    They show empathy for those who may have been harmed. They act with a
    “compassionate leadership” style.

    The distrust of the general populace of community,
    business, and political leaders stems from a steady stream of talking points,
    spinning narratives, and denials that have replaced accountability,
    truthfulness and transparency. People simply don’t trust many of our
    traditional leaders. Even the most eager leader will struggle in this negative
    environment.

    Leaders need to be masters of persuasion. To be able to be
    “innovative change agents”, they must develop and sustain a strong bond with
    those they lead exemplified by a consistent display of integrity. What everyone
    wants from a leader is the ability to “fess up” when he or she makes a mistake.
    They then want the person who “Fouled up” to fix the damage done rather than
    making excuses or pushing the fix onto someone else.

    After the damage has been fixed, the leader must learn from
    the mistakes made. This will prevent similar mistakes in the future. This
    learning process is the difference between average and great leaders. Great
    leaders spend time in meaningful reflection before taking on the next
    challenge.


    Excellent leaders rise to every occasion replacing chaos
    with a sense of calm resolve.

     

    Lloyd
    “Skip” Amstrup
    earned a bachelor’s degree in political
    science from San Jose State University. He taught high school students for
    eight years and worked in the insurance industry for 32 years, retiring as a
    field executive for State Farm. He was born in San Francisco and grew up in
    Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of “Found
    Treasure Gems of Great Leadership and Personal Skills
    ”, designed to help
    readers build their leadership skills, learn to make informed choices and shape
    their personal brand. He shares his “Five F’s to a Successful Life” and helps
    individuals define his or her personal aspirations. The subjects include faith,
    failure, family, fear, feelings, focus, flexibility, forgiveness, freedom,
    fruitfulness, friendship, future, funniness, framework and fundamentals. His
    approach helps readers define and meet their leadership goals in their personal
    and professional lives.
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