Page 274 - Fearless Leadership

Holding Each Other Accountable 261

What Happened. Several colleagues got together and “conspired
for” Geoff. Then they met with him and said, “We know you’re hav-
ing a difficult time. But shutting us out and not letting us support you
is not what we committed to. We’re your partners and we’re not going
to allow you to fail, be tough, or act like you can handle this alone.”
Geoff was moved by the caring and concern of his peers, and for the
first time he stopped covering up and began opening up.

The Breakthrough. Geoff was unaware of the extent to which he
had withdrawn and excluded others. After the conversation with his
peers, Geoff no longer felt alone and he was able to confidently
resolve a situation that had been causing serious problems. Geoff
summarized it best when he said, “I never really understood what
holding each other accountable meant until now. It means standing
for the success of each other in good times and bad, and not allowing
anyone to fail. I was trapped in trying to prove that I could handle
this situation by myself and I was wrong. Without my colleagues hold-
ing me accountable and supporting me, I would have failed.”

Lesson Learned. Leaders in trouble are leaders in isolation. At the
first sign that a leader is going it alone, committed partners pull
together and hold the individual accountable for recognizing and
correcting his or her course of action. Committed partners shrug off
conventional judgments of the individual in trouble and do not label
him or her as weak, inadequate, or incapable. Instead they operate
with a resounding motto, “Failure is not an option,” and stand shoul-
der to shoulder and face the challenge together.

Committed partners place accountability in the appropriate place. In
the situation with Geoff, his peers supported him so Geoff could feel con-
fident and make course corrections. They did not leave him alone to han-
dle the situation. At the same time, they did not rescue or enable Geoff
by solving the problem for him. They held Geoff accountable for rising
above the circumstances and provided him with unfaltering support.

Leaders in trouble are leaders in isolation.