Tweet

Are you an Accountable Leader

Written by: Jamie Broughton

Article Overview: We all have difficult events and experiences that shape us as people and leaders. They can give our lives constructive meaning and purpose or we can hide from their consequences and push them away. They can be big things and not-so-big things.

Are you an Accountable Leader

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr. US civil rights leader
youngest to receive Nobel Peace Prize 1964



We all have difficult events and experiences that shape us as people and leaders. They can give our lives constructive meaning and purpose or we can hide from their consequences and push them away. They can be big things and not-so-big things.

Ten years ago this month marks the anniversary of an event that took me down a path I wouldn’t have dreamed of traveling. On it I witnessed true courage and accountability time and time again. During that period, I had no idea how I’d get through it, let alone the person I supported. Looking back though, it has completely transformed my life personally and professionally. Indeed, it was the catalyst for my becoming a coach.

Let me back up for a minute. During my days at the University of Toronto I played for the men’s squash team. At the beginning of the 1990 season I was surprised to meet a fit, outgoing and lovely young lady also trying out for the team. Her name was April Ferguson. There was no ladies squash team at the time so she just decided that she’d try out for the men’s team instead. “Humph”, I thought to myself “I like this gal.” Sure enough, she made the team.

I was swept away by her determination, smarts and zest for life. Not to mention she was pretty cute. I remember describing her to my brother as a red Ferrari (April has wonderful red hair). She seemed to blow by me puttering along in the ‘medium-play-it-safe’ lane of life.

Later in the season I finally found the gumption to ask her out. An exciting few years of dating followed and in 1995 she agreed to marry me (I was thrilled!). In September of that year, eight days before our wedding, she hopped on her bike to finalize plans with our wedding photographer.

She never made it.

She was hit by a car that failed to yield at an intersecting street and was knocked unconscious. Her injuries were so severe she was airlifted to St.Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and wasn’t expected to survive. She slipped into a coma that lasted 28 never-ending days. We weren’t sure who or what would wake up if ever.

She did emerge and began a very long road to recovery which included three months of hospitalization and five years of rehab. They were the most difficult years we’ve had to face emotionally, physically, and financially.

In the face of miserable odds, she started all over again, completely all over again - re-learning to talk, walk, tie her shoelaces and do countless other simple tasks. She’s ended up a tri-athlete, an amazing mother of two and an informal ambassador for the brain-injured community in Ontario. Indeed, she has spoken at countless engagements and made dozens of media appearances in the local and national media. She’s impacted thousands upon thousands of people.

Was it unbelievably hard? Yes. Many, many tears of frustration were shed along the way. Did she ever want to throw in the towel? Yup, lots of times.

Here’s the point: April refused to fold her cards. She’s played the ones she was dealt, crumby as they seemed at time. In a toughest of situations where it would have been easier to blame and complain, she took accountability. She truly owned the circumstance, did something about it, and then some.

Want your team to be accountable? It starts with you. Show them.

Coaching Fieldwork:

This story is obviously a dramatic one, yet there are many situations where we can “fold our cards” on a daily basis: A business result we didn’t foresee. A relationship that isn’t working the way you’d like it to. A mistake you made that has caused difficulty for someone, or just yourself.

Accountability is avoided both consciously and unconsciously and comes in many forms. What are your favorites?
• Do you have a tendency to blame others or the environment for the situation?
• Have you ever avoided the matter completely and hoped it would go away?
• Do you worry or feel terrible about something in particular, consistently?
• Ever dug in your heals and waited for the other person to change?
• Have you found yourself talking a lot about a situation, but avoided action?

If you’ve identified something and started beating yourself up for not taking accountability, remember you’re human.

Ask yourself:
Why is it really bugging me? (Tell yourself the TRUTH)
What can I do about it?
Then do it.

Simple. Not easy.

Yet it’s what strong leaders do.

Related Articles
  Does Power Corrupt
  Strategic Commitments To Build Trust With Clients According to Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with ACCOUNTABILITY - A Hidden Myth?
  Three “A’s
  Want to Change Employee Behavior? Change Yourself First

Article Tags: catalyst, civil rights leader, controversy, eight days, ferguson, gumption, martin luther king, martin luther king jr, measure of a man, nobel peace prize, red ferrari, red hair, smarts, squash team, true courage, university of toronto, us civil rights, wedding photographer, young lady, zest for life



Related Forum Posts
Re: My 200 post - Well GT, You done it again, The Leader and now you have 1003 post, wow. Michelle and Trent, you are a winners too. WTG friends, you are an inspiration.
Blank text field might be better - Hi TheAnonymousMan, I like your idea! I'm assuming it would be similar to the status feature on Facebook where it might say "Kevin is ... " So I think having a blank text field in the profile box (and even "Leader" boxes on the left and top side of the forums if possible) might be more fun than just choosing from pre-set options from a drop down menu:D
Re: Business Women Peer Mentoring Spotlight - Hi Everyone, Gosh, I REALLY appreciate your concrete feedback. This was far more than I expected and I'm glad you said what you thought straight out. Each of you have shared something of value and I want to take some more time to think and really go over what each of you have said. However, I can see there are some things I need to change right away. What an interesting point about a NEW program perhaps making people think they are guinea pigs! This is NOT what I want to convey! It's funny how we can see some things so clearly in others while not always seeing it for ourselves! I must admit there are a few things I've been meaning to change (like my bio which is very outdated). Obviously, these things need to be higher on my priority list. You caught me like the plumber who puts his clients first and doesn't get around to fixing his own tap! As far as my target market, I do feel quite strongly about working with Women Leaders and doing Leadership Coaching with them. It's non-negotiable in my books. In my Executive Coaching training, the terms "Leaders" and "Executives" are interchangable. To me, an Executive is a Leader and so is the Business Woman or Entrepreneur who is CEO of her own business. I love working with decision makers! What I did learn is that I need to avoid opening up the Leadership term beyond what I described above. I'm also wondering if there is a misunderstanding with the general public as to what Leadership Coaching really is. Leadership Coaching is all about developing your leadership skills, both as a people manager and in more effectively running and growing the business. There is ALWAYS room for growth in some way. As well, sometimes, we just need a sounding board to clarify what our next BEST step is. In fact, if a woman thinks she has nothing to work on, then we aren't a good Client/Coach fit anyway. How can she grow if she doesn't see the value of expressing ALL of the great ability within her? How can her company grow if she doesn't see the value of strategic planning for the next best level? Thanks again to you all! I will go back to my website and really question whether I am conveying the right message. I got more than I bargained for in this Spotlight... you generously offered way more than I was asking. I think we could be on to something great for the Forum. Now it's time to let someone else have the spotlight. It would be great if everyone took a turn! In gratitude, Tami


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What If You Had a 100% Success Rate?

Life, Conflict and Work

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.