Accountability Facilitator Notes: SPARK is a New York Times best selling book that outlines leadership behaviors which allow us to be more influential and inspirational in our roles. The authors — Angie Morgan, Courtney Lynch, and Sean Lynch — all served in the US Armed Forces, which is where they all learned that leadership is not about positional authority. Leadership is about behavior. Anyone, at any level, can be a leader. They define leadership as “influencing outcomes and inspiring others.” The book begins by introducing the SPARK concept. Sparks are the doers and thinkers who envision a better future and work their way towards it. (Facilitator: give some examples of what this looks like in your environment. It could be the sales rep who redefines the sales process, the production manager who rethinks the work flow, or even the receptionist who goes above and beyond to ensure a positive client experience.) We all can be Sparks. When we begin to see ourselves as part of the solutions we seek, our world changes — we feel more in control, less at the mercy of life’s circumstances, and capable of achieving the “more” we seek in life; whether that’s more responsibility, more opportunity, or even more balance between all the roles we fill. To be a Spark you need to demonstrate all 7 traits the authors outline. Today we’re going to define one: Accountability. From the New York Times Best Selling Book, SPARK: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success

Becoming accountable When leaders demonstrate accountability, they resist the powerful human instinct to place blame elsewhere. They seek to identify how their own actions — or inactions — have contributed to the situations in which they find themselves. Facilitator Notes: Demonstrating accountability means relentlessly seeking ownership of mistakes, missteps, problems, and any other less than-best outcome you are either responsible for or associated with. Accountability is not about conducting a witch hunt to figure out who did what wrong and what should happen to them. When demonstrated correctly, accountability is the acknowledgment — not the admiration — of a mistake and quickly moving beyond it to get to what everyone wants: the solution and resolution.   It takes courage and willpower for Sparks to take personal responsibility for those challenges or errors they created or in which they took part. If there’s a problem and they’re close enough to it, leaders are accountable. As a result, they distinguish themselves as problem-solvers, truth-brokers, and confidence-inspiring leaders. One lone leader can transform a blame-placing group into a results-oriented team that is shaping its future. There is a great little phrase that reminds us what to do when we encounter problems (next slide)

Don’t point the finger… point the thumb. C =

The Accountability Lens Window & Mirror Behaviors Window Ignore the problem Wait Place blame Mirror See a solution Own the problem Take action Facilitator Notes: When we encounter problems, we have a choice: We can choose to look past the problem or we can choose to see it, then see ourselves as part of the solution. When we look past the problem, we’re looking out the window and trying to ignore it, to wait to see what happens, or to see who we can place the blame on. These behaviors don’t solve the issue. (People problems especially don’t get better with time.) Alternatively, we can look in the mirror — we can see it, own it and act. And when we do, we demonstrate accountability.

Build Accountability Facilitator Notes: In this video Courtney explains accountability, how we can demonstrate it as leaders, and how to become better than our instincts. Build Accountability

Group Discussion Why do you believe demonstrating accountability can be difficult? Why is accountability inspiring? How can you be more accountable? Facilitator Notes: Review and discuss the questions with your group.

Owning results means being accountable to success and to failure. Facilitator Notes: As leaders, it’s important for us to focus on what we can control and can’t control about the problems we encounter. Most things in life are outside of our control. There are two things that we can control: our actions and our response to the actions or inactions of other people. Taking ownership of what’s in our control allows us to build the ability to influence change and inspire others with our accountability.

Exercise Facilitator Notes: I am going to share with you an exercise that will allow you to look at a real-world challenge you are experiencing today through the accountability lens. The exercise will ask you to list challenges you are currently experiencing, and then you’ll break them down into behaviors and actions you can take to resolve the problem, and things that are beyond your control. Before I share the exercise with you, let me now show you a couple of examples.

See it I have to work with someone I really don’t like or respect. Own it CONTROL DON’T CONTROL My actions Their actions My response to this person Their thoughts Time spent thinking about the situation Their appreciation or respect of me Providing leadership to others impacted by this person Facilitator Notes: Talk through how the items on the left are things you can control and how you might be able to influence the items on the right that are beyond your control. Act I might need to improve this relationship by focusing on aspects I can control, my actions (ex. providing feedback). Or, I might just need to let go of seeking affirmation from this person.

See it Own it Act I have a tendency to overcommit and under deliver. CONTROL DON’T CONTROL My calendar The speed at which I receive projects How I prioritize Priorities of others Setting realistic deadlines Future emergencies Pushing back on others’ deadlines Opinions of others The commitments I make Facilitator Notes: Talk through how the items on the left are things you can control and how you might be able to influence the items on the right. Act I need to do a better job of managing my calendar, saying no, and learning how to prioritize.

Exercise Facilitator Notes: Use this individual exercise which can be found in the “Resource Library” of the SPARK Experience, under “Handouts” – see Chapter 4: Becoming an Accountable Leader. Accountability Grid: Leaders break down challenges into aspects that they can control, and aspects they cannot control.   When the exercise is complete, ask participants if they will share one of the challenges they wrote about and what they noted about aspects they can control and those they can’t.

Accountability Best Practices Lead with accountability so that you’re modeling the behavior you expect from others. Seek to recognize and embrace problems. The sooner you address them, the faster you get results. Work to ensure the teams you are working on allow for mistakes. The best teams aren’t perfect; instead they discuss problems openly and apply learning forward. Facilitator Notes: Review best practices listed.

Be the Spark www.sparkslead.us Facilitator Notes: Being accountable isn’t always easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding. While you may have some powerful, instinctual forces working against you when problems arise, you can learn to overcome them by consciously choosing your response instead of being reactive. Your quickest path to becoming a Spark is through your ability to be accountable. I’d like to thank everyone for coming today to discuss accountability. As a follow up, we’ll connect (date) to discuss (SPARK Topic). If you’d like to learn more about SPARK, or view additional learning materials, visit: www.sparkslead.us www.sparkslead.us