Have you ever wondered, Why is this happening?  Why can’t they get it done right? Why is this taking so long?  I’ve been there, unfortunately more than once.  My passion to learn more about the spirit of the Entrepreneur, the dynamics of team building and  leadership development has brought me to the realization that when I was asking, why…why…why?  I was actually indulging in a self absorbed pity party, aka, feeling sorry for myself.  This victim and scarcity mentality creeps up on us before we know it.  I have found through my personal trials and errors in business that when I have been frustrated and unhappy it was because I was focused on myself.  This may be of comfort at times.  This is a time we pick up the phone and call a friend or two and tell them our Why…Why…Why woes, but at the end of the day what good has it done us?  Is this level of questioning serving any greater purpose or it a complete waste of our precious time and energy?   

Time is a precious resource in our business.  It is a fixed commodity.  We cannot create more of it, so we need to be aware of what we do with it, how we allocate it and how we preserve it.  As we look at the world today we see a lot of questioning, a lot of fear and anxiety over the actions of companies and the response of our government.  It is very important to stay abreast of the current state of affairs, but it is equally as important that we guard the amount of time we let it consume our thoughts.  As I look back on challenging times in my business these short bouts of Why…Why…Why did nothing but side track me from taking the steps necessary to adjust, work smarter and focus on the action needed to succeed, the what…what….what???

When we engage in the What…What…What we are shifting our perspective and opening ourselves to bigger possibilities.  What do I need to adjust? What must I do to make my employees more efficient? What actions do I need to focus on to ensure success?

Do you see the difference between this line of questioning?  It takes us from a place of blame (being the victim) to a place of accountability for our actions and results.  In the book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, author John G. Miller states; “The lack of personal accountability is a problem that has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination.  No organization – or individual – can achieve goals, compete in the market place, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.”   Employee accountability is definitely a buzz word in the business today.  A google search of employee accountability revealed results of 7,470,000.  Obviously this is a big issue.  But here is the rub accountability starts at the top.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  As an Entrepreneur or Manager we cannot be pointing fingers at our employees wondering why they aren’t accountable.  What we must do is take a Look in the Mirror and ask ourselves, What am I doing to model accountability for my employees?  What do I need to do to reward the accountability of my employees?  What message am I sending to my employees when I am complaining about a situation versus being accountable and doing something about it?  What do you think about employee accountability? Is this an issue in your business? I’d love to hear your feedback either way.  Please send your comments to maria@igniteconsultantsplus.com

Reprint from Brownsville Chamber of Commerce Newsletter, November 2009