The Need for Accountabiliity

Our American culture highly values freedom, independence, and self-governance.  We love rugged individualism.  A business owner (Christian and non-Christian) can easily fall into this “pull myself up by my own bootstraps” mentality.  After all, one of the benefits of owning your business is not having to report to anyone, right?  But the Scriptures take issue with this attitude for it strips us of personal accountability. 

And why should we desire to be personally accountable to anyone?  What are the benefits of this accountability?  Here are two:

·        Accountability is a freeing process in that it gives directions, security and encouragement

·        Accountability provides structures for correction or punishment so that improvement, restoration, and healing might ultimately take place.

Accountability is always oriented towards growth and improvement.  For you and I to grow and mature, we need an independent review of our actions and decisions.

Dr. Chewning claims in Business Through the Eyes of Faith “It is unloving and unfair to give people authority and responsibility but not to hold them accountable for its use or provide the coaching needed to do a good job.”  Managers and supervisors who oversee the process of accountability are responsible for the creation of fair standards and regular procedures that guide the accountability process.  These managers and supervisors must also be subject to the same accountability system (see Ephesians 5:21).  After these fair standards have been determined, they must be clearly communicated.  Each employee must know what is expected.  It is not fair to evaluate a person if he does not have full knowledge of his specific job standards.  And remember, ignoring or delaying accountability does not help the person involved to grow and improve.

Some will complain that standards (policies and procedures) stifle creativity and limit freedom.  But any cooperative effort must include policies, procedures, etc. in order for the group to pursue organizational goals.  Individual efforts must fit together toward a common goal.  And each of us must be held accountable for the part he or she plays. 

Discipline

Discipline is an aspect of love.  “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, after wards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11).  Discipline is intended to be a part of life and is critical in any system of accountability.  People must know the consequences of not living up to standards.  But supervisors must remember to provide affirmation in the process of constructively disciplining employees.  Learn to use an employee’s failure as an opportunity for growth rather than defeat.  (By the way, Peter Drucker would say that 85% of the time the failure that we attribute to employees is actually the failure of systems that are in place—systems designed by management). 

Council of Advisors (adapted from the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International)

For Christian business owners I would highly recommend one particular form of accountability—a council of advisors.  This is a small group of two to three experienced Christian business leaders who share your same value system, agree to meet on a regular basis to discuss the needs of your company and bring sound biblical advice and counsel to you as CEO.   

If you are a Christian business owner without such a council of advisors, you are not alone.  Few among us like accountability.  But everybody needs it.  Personal accountability requires that you willingly give another person authority to hold you accountable for specific things in your life.  When you create a council of advisors, you must be willing to submit to another person as a matter of choice.  

Please let me know if you would like further information on how to set up a Council of Advisors for your business. 

Putting This Into Practice

Someone wrote me recently about their supervisors not holding direct reports accountable.  You know the old supervisor’s mantra, “Nobody can do it as well as I can do it.”  So the supervisor gets the job done “his way” and ends up doing two jobs—his and his subordinate’s.  Well, in fact, he’s not doing his job.  And guess what, the supervisor’s manager is not doing his job either.  Developing a culture of accountability starts with the CEO of the organization.  No matter your personality type and all the other excuses you can name (I don’t have time; I’m not sure how to go about it, etc.), you, as CEO, are fully responsible for the culture of accountability or lack thereof in your organization.   

In this context the truism, “To thine own self be true” might better be stated “To thine own self be accountable.” 

Ask yourself this question, “To whom am I accountable?” 

Keith

Subscribe to these Weekly Insights at no cost at www.daystarconsulting.com