Today, a cold hard reality alert: PEOPLE WILL GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HOLD OTHER PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE LONG BEFORE THEY WILL ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF HOLDING THEMSELVES ACCOUNTABLE.
As a current and future leader, that wants to become one of the great ones. Well, if you are NOT first holding yourself accountable you will never be a leader. You will never be someone that people will turn to. Actually, you will become some one that people will go out of their way to avoid.
You cannot be a true leader if you do not begin with yourself, FIRST.
An individual that would rather hold others accountable but does not hold themselves accountable falls right smack in the middle of the “DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO” category. Being the definitive example of the “DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO” is actually the OPPOSITE of a Leader.
You want to lead, you want to be the one people come to, you want to be the one that makes more leaders then you must act like it. You have no choice. As to be a leader, a genuine leader, then it begins with you. You cannot just open your mouth and say, ‘today, I am a leader.” It does not work that way.
The only way for a leader to be a leader is to put in the work. The work is also non-stop, 24/7. There is no shirking of that responsibility.
Do not go trying to hold others accountable or push them to do what you “believe” they should be doing if you are NOT willing to do it first. Also, do not put it in your mind that because you are older or outlasted everyone else you are an “Automatic Leader” because let me be the first to tell you; there is NO SUCH THING.
So stop kidding yourself and others and get to work. Start putting in the work and make it happen. Start with yourself and then, maybe, you can start holding others accountable for their actions (or inactions). But do not, for one second, start to think that you can begin influencing the behavior, thoughts, words or actions of others if you are not prepared to it yourself.
Get to work,
David Guerra, MBA
author THE WALKING LEADER.
P.S. I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @daveguerra • visit my website: www.daveguerra.com