I finished this book in February 2025. I recommend this book 4/10.
Why you should read this book:
This is a short read about the principles of accountable leaders. It gives you tools to define what needs to be done, time and measurement, and clear ownership.
Get your copy here.
🚀 The book in three sentences
Setting clear expectations from the start will make others see you in a different light.
Accountable leaders make it easier for their team to understand the task.
Accountable leaders look in the mirror first.
📝 My notes and thoughts
P11. People deal with us based on what they think about us, not what we think they should think about us. So, when we make a commitment, we have to fulfill that commitment in the eyes of others. It is not good enough to fulfill the commitment in our eyes—we have to fulfill the commitment in the eyes of others. That is the tricky part.
P19. When getting a task assigned, ask, " How will the task be measured as successful?"
P24. After many years of consulting with major corporations, my theory is that if managers look first at themselves when searching for the origin of a problem, the organization moves forward at an accelerated rate. In fact, the more people in an organization who are looking at themselves, the greater the impact on the organization.
P26. When things go wrong—questions to ask:
Where did I fail to communicate clear expectations?
Who did I forget in initial discussions?
What could I have done better or differently that may have resulted in a more favorable outcome?
P29. Chapter two summary:
Building a Culture of Accountability requires time, patience, and vision...and it begins with you.
People are watching everything you do. You are always leading in one direction or another.
First, focus on yourself when determining what might have gone wrong.
Ask yourself: Did I communicate clear expectations? Did I include the right people in initial discussions? What could I have done better?
Create accountability partners...people you invite to hold you accountable for specific tasks.
P39. Like the three most important rules of real estate are "location, location, location," the three most important rules in creating an accountability culture are "specificity, specificity, specificity." Practice making commitments using the Language of Accountability by saying, "I will do it on 'X' date at 'X' time." The Language of Specificity includes:
What date and time should I follow up with you to make sure the loop is closed?
Who owns it?
I own it!
Will (e.g., "I will' in lieu of "try," "should," or "might.")
Here's what it will look like when it is completed.
P43. It is the leader's job to reverse the momentum of negative interactions —and anyone can be the leader.
P51. Once you have positively answered each of the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. questions, then you can move forward and make your request. At the end of the request, ask your team for reflection. You're not asking the listener/receiver to repeat your request for verbatim. Instead, you invite them to express what they heard using questions such as, "What does what I just said mean to you?" or "I explained this to the best of my ability, but what did you actually hear?" or "What does this look like to you when it's done?"
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Result-Oriented
Trackable
Ethical
Recorded
P61. Remember: A deadline is when work is due. A timeline is when the work gets done. And, in a Culture of Accountability, it's when the work gets done that really matters. Successful manufacturing, distribution, product development, or major project accomplishment is achieved through the use of timelines. Why wouldn't we apply the same standard of success to an executive's time? Schedule your tasks as meetings on your calendar and start and finish them on time as if other people were involved in the meeting.
P71. Extreme Ownership:
Only one person should be the owner of a task. A team cannot own a task.
The buck stops with the owner of a project ... even if every task has been assigned.
Assign ownership by competency first and bandwidth (time) second.
Today's organizational chart should support your vision of tomorrow's organization.
P87. If accountability is front-loaded with clear expectations, specific dates and times, clear ownership, and a shared understanding, you will experience better outcomes.
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