My sixth Key to an “A” is availability. I chose it, instead of accessibility, because availability is an engineering term measuring “the percentage of time that the infrastructure, system or a solution remains operational under normal circumstances in order to serve its intended purpose.”[i]
Richard Brookhiser points out, “One hundred percent of leadership is showing up—at the necessary moments.”[ii] Being there, being available, at critical moments matters.
Schneider National’s Chris Lofgren shared with my leadership class an instance in which a leader didn’t show up. To meet a deadline, the leader of a software company required people to work on weekends. To verify they did, he called the office from his hot tub to make sure they were in the office.
In a previous blog, I shared that Frank Broyles advised me, “Chancellor, weddings are optional, but funerals are mandatory.” Based on his advice, I attended many funerals while serving as UA’s chancellor. When a prior commitment prevented me doing so, my wife, Mary Lib, attended and expressed my condolences to the family members.
Goodwin, no doubt, would label the key accessibility, not availability. Commenting on Lincoln’s practice of spending time among the troops, she says, “Everywhere he went, he invited soldiers to call upon him if they felt they had been unfairly treated.” Then, she adds, “In letters the soldiers wrote home, accounts of Lincoln’s empathy, responsibility, kindness, accessibility, and fatherly compassion for his extended family were common.”[iii]
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My seventh Key to an “A” is accountability. Although a leader can delegate authority to others, accountability can’t be delegated. President Truman is known for having a sign on his desk, stating “The buck stops here.”[iv] Churchill rightly said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”[v] Accountability accompanies responsibility.
Lee Iacocca notes, “Accountability is a slippery business these days. How do you know what’s actually being accomplished? Well, you have to start by looking at whether the policies and priorities are working, you know getting results.
“The job of a leader is to accomplish goals that advance the common good. Anyone can take up space. Here’s the test of a leader: When he leaves office, we should be better off than when he started. It’s that simple.”[vi]
When things go wrong, some leaders turn to Jones’ Law: the person who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on. They never think to look in the mirror and they don’t have a Cassius to remind them, as he reminded Brutus, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”[vii]
Nothing demoralizes a team more than having a leader refuse to be accountable. When a leader plays the blame game, I recall Machiavelli’s discourse on the question of whether it’s better for a leader to be loved or feared; after stating it’s better to be both, he concludes the leader must avoid being hated.[viii] Leaders who refuse to accept responsibility for their actions or inactions are likely to be hated by their followers.
When things go wrong, I’m reminded of the saying, “Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan.” When success occurs, it’s interesting how many people claim they contributed to success, but when failure occurs you can’t find anyone who played a part.
Leaders should follow the example of Lincoln by praising, complimenting, and rewarding accomplishments of people they lead. And, when mistakes are made, they should be accountable and take responsibility for them. When battles were lost during the Civil War, Lincoln’s generals knew he had their backs; if they failed, he failed.[ix]
Writing about Lincoln’s leadership, Donald T. Phillips notes, “During his last public address, made to a gathering of people outside the White House on the evening of April 11, 1865, he was filled with modesty for himself and praise for the soldiers who had won the Union victory: ‘No part of the honor, or plan or execution, is mine,’ he asserted. ‘To General Grant, his skillful officers, and brave men, all belong.’”[x]
As a leader, it’s important to remember what Chris Lofgren said to my students, “Managers hold people accountable. Leaders create an environment in which people hold themselves accountable.”
Instead of accountability, I considered using apologize. Why? One of the most powerful things a leader can do is apologize. Consider this from Mike Fannin, editor of The Kansas City Star: “Today we are telling the story of a powerful local business that has done wrong.
“For 140 years, it has been one of the most influential forces in shaping Kansas City and the region. And yet for much of its early history — through sins of both commission and omission — it disenfranchised, ignored and scorned generations of Black Kansas Citizens. It reinforced Jim Crow laws and redlining. Decade after early decade it robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition.
“That business is The Kansas City Star.
“Before I say more, I feel it to be my moral obligation to express what is in the hearts and minds of the leadership and staff of an organization that is nearly as old as the city it loves and covers:
“We are sorry.”[xi]
Three words, we are sorry—so powerful, conveying so much. The editors and staff members of The Kansas City Star proclaim they are accountable. The letter details mistakes of the past and efforts made to prevent backsliding in the future. Leadership matters! Leadership is accountability.
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Next: Keys to “A”s in Leadership–Part V (Allocation)
[i] See https://www.bmc.com/blogs/reliability-vs-availability/.
[ii] Richard Brookhiser, George Washington on Leadership, Basic Books, New York, NY, 2008, p. 70.
[iii] Doris Kearns Goodwin, Leadership in Turbulent Times, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 2018, p. 236.
[iv] See https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/harry_s_truman_162071.
[v] See https://www.inc.com/gordon-tredgold/49-quotes-that-will-help-you-avoid-the-blame-game.html.
[vi] Lee Iacocca, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 2007, pp. 23-24.
[vii] William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2. Lines 145-147.
[viii] Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Prohyptikon Publishing Inc., Toronto, 2009, pp. 59-61.
[ix] Donald T. Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times, Warner Books, New York, NY, 1992, p. 103.
[x] Ibid, pp. 105-106.
[xi] See https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article247928045.html.
