Do you ever wonder how you got somewhere?
I don’t mean physically – although at my age….
I mean in life, in work – whatever….
You know the scenario – you plan, you push, you strategize, you create and you build – you see it all in your mind’s eye…. You start the journey.
And then – you get there and it’s just not what you thought – you feel like you are in another universe.
You are not where you planned to be – like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz – you open the door and it’s all different….
What do you do?
What usually happens?
Do the fingers start pointing? Is it hard to find anyone who is accountable? Do you end up holding the bag?
Are clients yelling or are your colleagues backing away, throwing their hands up, or are your significant others getting riled up…?
What do you do?
You can run…you can change universes. You can pretend that you have nothing to do with the situation. You can close your eyes and wish yourself away (oh, those ruby slippers…).
Or you can make it your own time and place. Listen:
“Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” Earl Mac Rauch
I love the simplicity…. And there you have it.
Accountability is about time and place – it’s our real estate to own…or not….
And owning real estate gives you a stake in the ground and a place to return to and room to defend….
What do you think?
I don’t know if you were headed in this direction, but we must preach and practice accountability. When we have our client’s confidence, we can devote more energy to developing good strategy, creative execution and smart testing and waste less energy selling those in. We gain our client’s confidence by delivering great work and taking ownership and being accountable when we don’t.
U nailed it
I like soup.
I read a case study several years ago that suggested the key to NOT waking up one day and wondering how you got there — at least in life — is to be aware that all of your decisions (even not making one) have consequences; if you can fully accept the possible consequences of your choices in advance, it puts you in a place where you don’t have to run away if things go awry. That’s a fair shake on accountability – and I think it’s true for work too. Never hurts to have a plan B in your pocket…
I don’t know if you were headed in this direction, but we must preach and practice accountability. When we have our client’s confidence, we can devote more energy to developing good strategy, creative execution and smart testing and waste less energy selling those in. We gain our client’s confidence by delivering great work and taking ownership and being accountable when we don’t.