The Buck Stops Here! - Responsibility and Accountability

An important quality of leadership is the acceptance of responsibility. A leader takes responsibility and shares the credit. Leading a chapter means accepting responsibility for what happens within it, for better and for worse.

Harry Truman, 33rd President of the United States of America, had a sign on his desk with the inscription, "The Buck Stops Here". It helped remind him that he could not pass the buck but had to accept a personal responsibility for the governance and leadership of our nation.   President Truman was well aware of his responsibilities and accountability. He knew that responsibility could be shared before, during and/or after a task while accountability could not.

Accountability is being ultimately answerable for your actions only after the task is done or not done. Truman accepted both responsibility and accountability for his actions.

Be a chapter leader that doesn't  look for scapegoats. There could be many legitimate reasons for the failure of any decision yet the ultimate responsibility lies with you, the chapter leader. Without accountability, even the most brilliant and hard-working leaders fail. 

1. Accountability starts with honesty. Honest leaders become accountable by reviewing their own role in a situation and devising a reasonable solution to resolve conflict and challenges. 2. Accountable leaders voluntarily say "I'm sorry" when something has gone awry. This allows a focus on the end goal rather than the problem. 3. Accountable leaders seek input from others about how something that didn't go well could have gone better. 4. Accountable leaders do not avoid responsibility, and they do not under or over commit. They know when to say no, and they know when to ask for more.

 
Effective leadership requires responsibility and accountability