Page 292 - Fearless Leadership

100% Accountability: A New Canvas on Which to Paint the Future 279

you can compare how people view their progress and their team. Record
team breakthroughs so everyone can see how their behavior directly
impacts business results.

A NEW CANVAS ON WHICH TO PAINT THE FUTURE

To paraphrase Vitruvius’s seminal work De Architectura, let’s recall the
story of Archimedes. He decided to take a bath, and while getting into the
water, he noticed something for the first time. Archimedes became con-
sciously aware that the level of the water in the tub rose as he got in, and
at that moment he had a breakthrough of epic proportions: “Wow. I just
invented how to measure material density. The King is going to pay me
some major drachmas for this. Eureka!” Archimedes screamed and took
to the streets naked, having forgotten to dress.
How many times do you miss what is right in front of you? How many
times do your preconceived judgments prevent you from noticing some-
thing new? How many possibilities do you shut down? How many oppor-
tunities elude you? As a fearless leader, you must be proactive and
continually ask questions that expand your scope of vision:

1. What am I not seeing? What is right in front of me that I am
missing? What am I avoiding? How can my committed partners
help me view this situation differently?
2. What opportunities and possibilities are right in front of me?
What assumptions or judgments are getting in my way? How is
my need to be right getting in my way? Where do I need to take
accountability for my blind spots and genuinely listen to others?
3. What can I learn from this breakdown or situation? Why is
this challenge in front of me at this time? How did my behavior
contribute to this breakdown? What is preventing me from
acting quickly to resolve this issue? What can I do differently
so I will not repeat this breakdown again?
What is right in front of you, which is often missed, is the fact that you
have the choice and capacity to play big at any time. You have the ability
to transform yourself and move people and the organization to a higher
level of effectiveness. You must decide that anything is possible and
inspire this same level of confidence in others. Your willingness to be