Leaders Build Trust through Keeping Commitments and Employee Accountability
Here is fun leadership riddle, can you figure it out?
There are 6 frogs sitting on a lily pad. 1 frog decides to jump off. How many frogs are left?
Most would say the answer is 5. But look more closely, the answer is 6. Why? Because only one decided to jump off.
There are two leadership parallels that can be drawn from this simple leadership riddle.
1. Leaders must not simply decide to do something, they must do it. One quick way to erode leader trust is for the leader to commit to a decision a team or employee has made and then do nothing or very little about it.
A leader may agree to a goal or a set of goals, but if there is no follow up, that leader has not jumped off the lily pad and will have a difficult time convincing others to do the same later. Leaders must hold themselves accountable.
2. Leaders can not afford followers that decided and agreed to do something and don’t. Leaders need to hold employees accountable. Holding employees accountable is unpleasant for most, but it is critical.
Jennifer may be your most productive worker, but if there is a policy that employees show up on time to work and Jennifer is regularly late, it will be noticed by your team. Jennifer’s behavior and the lack of accountability by you will be poisonous to the team. The leader will not be trusted and unproductive behavior will result.
So the point is, if you decide to do something; then jump. If your employees decide to do something; ensure they jump as well. What ways have you seen others only decide to jump?
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