There are two types of people in this world, each of whom perceive the interplay between their actions and environment in stark contrast: internalists and externalists. Internalists accept that regardless of outside forces exerted on them, only their actions determine ultimate success or failure. Externalists believe their success or failure is often due directly to those outside forces and thus outside of their control.
We all appear to begin life as externalists. Imagine the young child who claims it wasn't them who ate the cake, it was their brother; they don't hesitate to blame others when things go wrong. But as we grow we develop emotional maturity, one of the characteristics of a good leader. And a key manifestation of this, essential to effective leadership, is the ability to internalise and embrace personal accountability – a concept that requires you to accept full responsibility for the outcomes of work performed by you and your people.
Unfortunately, not all leaders accept this responsibility. And this lack of accountability can be like a disease in the way infects some organisations. We've all encountered leaders who blame anyone but themselves when things go wrong, whether it be the market, the region, the conditions or even customers! However because of the example they set, externalist leaders induce employees into producing an atmosphere of self-defeatism and finger pointing, one in which the smallest of hurdles is too big to overcome and fault is always assumed to lie anywhere but within.
This isn't to suggest that external factors don't affect performance – they do. But rarely must they be the reason for failure, and it's with this view that internalist leaders embrace personal accountability. Through their example, internalist leaders create an environment for employees of confidence and teamwork, one in which even the largest of hurdles can be viewed as a stepping stone on the road to success because everyone is working towards common goals.
How do you live your life, both at home and at work? How much accountability do you accept for your successes (this is the easy bit) or failures? Failure to accept personal accountability is the first of 13 fatal leadership errors presented in our management training program, Leadership In Action. Contact us to learn more about how your management team can develop personal accountability or request a preview CD of module 2 'Why We Fail to Lead (Part 1)'.