FIG. 32 Don’t be a victim —live the cycle of accountability!
The accountable manager immediately tunes in: What’s
happening here? She investigates exactly what she’s up against. The
other manager refuses to acknowledge what’s happening. It’s a blip, a
glitch, an anomaly. He shrugs it off as simply a “bad month.”
Meanwhile, the accountable manager, having discovered how a
competitor is grabbing market share, bites the bullet and says, So, this
is the way it is, and takes ownership of the problem. If it’s to be, it’s
up to me, she thinks. Being willing to address reality head-on gives
her a huge edge. It puts her in a position to start thinking about what
she can do differently.
The other manager keeps fighting reality. He comes up with an
alternative view, placing responsibility elsewhere. That’s not how I
see it, he counters. If people in the company would just do their jobs,
we wouldn’t have problems like this!
The accountable manager looks for solutions. More important,
she assumes she’s a part of the solution: What can I do? The moment
she finds the right tactic, she acts. Circumstances won’t change by
themselves, she thinks, so let’s get on with it! The other manager,
having blamed everyone else, now excuses himself altogether. It’s not
my job, he declares, and settles in to hoping things change for the
better.
Told in this way, the difference is pretty stark, isn’t it? One is
actively trying to author her destiny. The other is simply along for the
ride. One is acting accountable; the other is being a victim. One will
change the outcome. One won’t.
Granted, “victim” is a tough word. Please know that I’m
describing the attitude, not the person, though if kept up long enough
these could become one and the same. No one is a born victim; it’s
simply an attitude or an approach. But if allowed to persist, the cycle
becomes a habit. The opposite is also true. Anyone can be accountable
at any time—and the more you choose the cycle of accountability, the