Do These 3 States of Leadership Contain the Secret to Success?

1. WAKE UP
Do These 3 States of
Leadership Contain the
Secret to Success?
There are three critical states of being for all of us involved in any business
enterprise (I’d argue in life too…another story for another time, but you can
easily make the connection):
 Responsibility
 Accountability

2. 2
 Authority
Both Leaders and Followers need to understand these states…their own roles in
them…how they interact…and how to activate and engage them for success.
Let’s start with Responsibility. Frankly, it’s a word of puffed up and inflated
meaning yet critical to the work environment, particularly when compared and
contrasted with Accountability. The bottom line, Responsibility is that state of
ubiquity that means nothing more than the price of entry you are taxed for being
a part of any venture. We get a salary; we show up (KNEE JERK
ALERT…Zoom counts too); we take on a task; we deliver what we are on the
hook for; we agree to do a job, and we do it. Responsibility is the basic, call it
contractual if you like, relationship we have. No gold stars here. No huge pats
on the back. We take something on and we are Responsible to deliver on it. We
all owe Responsibility—Leaders, Followers, makes no difference. It's a great
equalizer. But it's a basic owe.
Accountability, though, is where the action is. Accountability is what creates
Leaders. Accountability is what separates the best from the rest. Accountability
is when you own the situation…When all hell has broken loose, and you don’t
point fingers…you put your hand up and your head down…you don’t pass the
buck…you own the problem and you fix it. Accountability is a state of being
that is evolved. So, while we owe Responsibility, we own Accountability.

3. 3
Remember the simple symbol: others point this way and that, but you put your
hand up.
Responsibility is a KPI of true leaders, and it's what distinguishes leadership
from mere power and org chart top down players.
Authority, on the other hand, is given. Responsibility is owed by all.
Accountability is owned by some. But Authority has to be given by leaders to
others…the followers who are ready to put their hands up to get on the
leadership path. You see, without Authority there is no Accountability, only
finger pointing…Meaning that if I expect someone to take Accountability,
unless they have some degree of Authority, there is no conceivable way they
can be successful. Demanding Accountability and keeping Authority for
yourself is the refuge of the weak narcissist who fears sharing their own
perceived power. It allows them to point out inevitable failure while they shield
themselves from criticism. Authority makes Accountability possible.
To recap:
 Responsibility – basic state. Owed by all.
 Accountability – evolved. Owned by some.
 Authority – necessary for Accountability. The one state that has to be
given to you by others.

4. 4
We have all seen the best and worst of these three states, and in the current
environment, we are being confronted by extremes every day.
 Some who feel that Responsibility is an unfair burden and that they owe
nothing to their employers or colleagues.
 Some who are ready to take on the burden of Accountability to help others
and make up for the Responsibility deficit.
 Many who have been given more Authority (and some less) as we
struggle with WFH, remote, hybrid, and the future of work.
My view is that success is being driven by the companies and the people who
intrinsically understand the levers of the 3 States and know how to employ
them and make them work for all.
Take ownership on the one hand (Accountability) and let go on the other
(Authority), and your path to success and leadership will be a given.
And please understand that your basic Responsibility is still the same…Show
up.