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I
woke up a little before midnight Sunday in time
to see the final Oscar presentation of the Academy Awards. Dustin Hoffmann and
Barbara Streisand appeared on stage as the envelope openers. Hoffmann's lifeless
facial expression and slurred words were giveaways that he was drunk. That type
of appearance is not new or shocking for the Hollywood set. We are well conditioned
to accepting objectionable performances from stars. Fully
awake at 12:10 A.M., I was engrossed
in another round of cerebral gymnastics on my mental monkey bars. The
WHY question surfaced. Why does society embrace the personalities of Hollywood as role models
when they do such goofy stuff? As
I swung to the next bar in my jungle gym, the theme of a book I have been reading
become much more clear. "QBQ! The Question Behind
The Question" by John G. Miller was a recommend from Getting To The Point
newsletter reader Mike Berta. Miller brings up some
excellent points in a quick reading format. His
chapter titled "Will the Real Role Models Please Stand Up" discusses
society's love affairs with stars, sports figures, singers and politicians. "Shame
on them", we say. Miller makes a point with a sledgehammer, "no public
figure is a role model for our kids, That's our job-yours and mine." My question
of why would any public figure appear intoxicated in a performance, lie about
an extra- marital affair or make ignorant political statements is not the issue.
Miller suggests that there is a question behind that question of greater importance.
The greater question behind that question is am I, no matter
what my role, being a model for others who observe and emulate my behavior? As a member of a family, regardless of the number, do you
take the personal responsibility for operating as a model to the group? Society
has allowed us to get very comfortable with blaming others for problems when the
responsibility for blame is often our own. In
business, employees waste countless hours, that could be productive company time,
on the mechanics of covering their rear-ends as defense
against possible personal attack in the ever changing blame game. The military
has a tradition of boot camp training that, most of the time, the best excuse
that can be offered is," No excuses, sir." What a
treat that would be to hear more often. Admit you dropped the ball and
move on. The refreshing idea of a movement toward personal accountability makes
me excited about the future. As
a person in business, what can you do to change the attitude toward being personally
accountable in your workplace? - Be a leader-others will
follow your example
- Stop thinking like a victim
- Start taking action
Personal
accountability in your organization will separate you from the competition. When
the staff stops answering, That's not my job, and begins
to answer, How can I fix this, you'll know that your role as a leader is being
filled. Lead
on. I
work with small business owners with eight key strategies. Being a leader in your
business is one of the key strategies. | 
