Page 273 - Fearless Leadership

260 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

downs by switching their attention from “How can we avoid breakdowns?”
to “How fast can we recover when breakdowns occur?”
Committed partnerships are the foundation for producing exceptional
business results. Therefore, you must hold others accountable for both
business results and building and sustaining committed partnerships.
Only in this way can you build a high performance team and keep it going.
Committed partners look far beyond their immediate team or area and
accept accountability for their relationships across all groups in the orga-
nization. They do not indulge in the luxury of selecting who they want to
be committed partners with; they build committed partnerships every-
where.
Let’s bring our focus back to you. As a committed partner, you are
accountable for repairing damaged relationships, cleaning up the past, and
building and sustaining the partnership. You are also accountable for
immediately addressing and resolving any breakdowns. How do you hold
yourself and others accountable?

• Do you take accountability and ownership when a breakdown
occurs?
• Do you hold others accountable in a positive and supportive
manner?
• Are you inconsistent in holding others accountable?
• Do you give others explicit permission to coach you?
• Do you listen to coaching and apply it?
As a committed partner, your job is to foster extraordinary relationships
with others and build an environment where people care for each other
and the organization. It is also your accountability to hold people up to
their greatness and make sure that no one feels isolated or alone.

How Committed Partners Support a Leader in Trouble
Geoff, a highly competent leader of a business operation, was defen-
sive and resistant when others tried to reach out to him during a dif-
ficult situation. His group was in trouble and business results were
suffering. But instead of listening to input from others, Geoff with-
drew and handled things alone.