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Peer Accountability: Policing Yourselves So the Boss Doesn’t Have To

Posted on 10/06/2015 by ·
Peer Accountability: Policing Yourselves So the Boss Doesn't Have To by Laura Stack #productivity

"If you are building a culture where honest expectations are communicated and peer accountability is the norm, then the group will address poor performance and attitudes." – Henry Cloud, American self-help author. Here is the weekly roundup of activity from Laura Stack’s blog, columns, podcast, and other featured articles. Scroll down to read the complete roundup of productivity resources to help you create Maximum Results in Minimum Time. This week on the Blog Peer Accountability: Policing Yourselves So the Boss Doesn't Have To Have you ever attended a meeting as a guest but couldn't tell who the leader was, because multiple people asked their teammates tough questions? I've been to a few where if I hadn't already known the leader, I wouldn't have been able to guess. Those … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General · Tagged: , ,

Creating a Culture of Accountability

Posted on 04/03/2015 by ·

Today, Laura shares thoughts on encouraging accountability in your organization. (C) 2015 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast · Tagged:

Whistling Up an Orchestra: The Value of Teamwork in the Workplace

Posted on 11/14/2013 by ·
Whistling Up an Orchestra: The Value of Teamwork in the Workplace by Laura Stack #productivity

"There's no I in team, but there is in win." -- Michael Jordan, American basketball player. Those of us who gravitate toward leadership in business organizations—or create our own businesses as entrepreneurs—tend to be the independent sort. It seems ironic, then, that we achieve our highest levels of productivity only when we come together as teams. The fact remains that human beings are social creatures. We couldn't have been otherwise and risen to become this planet's dominant species. Nearly everything worthwhile we've achieved has come about as a result of team effort. Even those we often perceive as lone-wolf geniuses—people like Einstein, Mozart, and Da Vinci—worked in a collaborative milieu (e.g., science and music) or surrounded themselves with talented people they could … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: ,

Operational Efficiency: Energizing Accountability at the Leadership Level

Posted on 10/28/2013 by ·
Operational Efficiency: Energizing Accountability at the Leadership Level by Laura Stack #productivity

In the wake of the Enron scandal a dozen years ago, I saw a cartoon by Wiley Miller that nicely summed up the situation. The one-panel drawing showed an angry-looking man bursting through a door labeled "Accountability Department"—and finding no one there, because the office's sole occupant was hiding under his desk. In the post-Enron era, it sometime seems like accountability doesn't mean much anymore, especially when we see high-level executives duck responsibility for their mistakes or laziness with a wave of their C-Suite Golden Tickets. But these represent exceptions to the rule, not standard procedure. Accountability does still matter. Rampant Self-Honesty If you've made it to a leadership role, then you didn't get there by accident. Your superiors elevated you to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

Creating an Environment of Accountability: As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

Posted on 10/21/2013 by ·
Creating an Environment of Accountability: As You Sow, So Shall You Reap buy Laura Stack #productivity

"A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody." -- Thomas Paine, American Founding Father. "Corporations are like protean bacteria; you hit them with accountability and they mutate and change their names." -- Doug Anderson, American writer. Have you ever asked your spouse or a friend the rhetorical question, "Whatever happened to accountability?" When both business and government seem determined to rescue the worst wrongdoers from the consequences of their actions at our expense, many of us are left asking this very question. Remember the AIG banking fiasco of 2008? Did the perpetrators suffer for their greed? AIG posted a fourth-quarter loss of $62 billion—the largest in history—and received a huge government bailout check as a prize. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: ,

The Squeaky Wheel Makes Things Better

Posted on 10/07/2013 by ·
The Squeaky Wheel Makes Things Better by Laura Stack #productivity

Growing up, I had a friend who used to say, “If it was good enough for Grandpa, it's good enough for me.” To which I would retort with my Grandpa’s favorite expression, “Sometimes it’s better to get forgiveness than permission.” Which phrase resonates with you more? Too often in the business world, people just accept how they've been taught to do something, rather than considering whether it could be improved. Situations and technology change, and sometimes we fail to change with them. Truly accountable people strive to make things easier for everyone, including themselves. They take on change and try to make processes more efficient, even if they know it might rub some people the wrong way. They know the squeaky wheel gets in the grease—or in this case—makes things better. How can you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time Management · Tagged: , ,

Crack That Whip! The Importance of Self-Discipline

Posted on 09/23/2013 by ·
Crack That Whip! The Importance of Self-Discipline by Laura Stack #productivity

Do you complete your workplace tasks within the promised timeframes? Or do deadlines ever slip past you, even as you curse your own stupidity? When that happens, it’s hard to focus on anything productive, because a dark cloud hangs over your head, and guilt sucks the energy right out of you. If you ever think, "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this right now," you're probably right. How much time could you save by tightening your self-control? If you arrived at work and didn't stop for coffee, didn't talk to a friend, didn't fall into the email trap for 90 minutes, where could you use the extra time? Instead of wasting your day, start cracking the whip of self-discipline. Several areas to think about include procrastination, tardiness, and perfectionism. Um, Can We Talk About This … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: , ,

How to Be a Fixer, Not a Finger-Pointer

Posted on 03/20/2013 by ·

"When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself." -- Louis Nixer, noted American trial lawyer. "I never yet heard man or woman much abused that I was not inclined to think the better of them, and to transfer the suspicion or dislike to the one who found pleasure in pointing out the defects of another." -- Jane Porter, nineteenth century Scottish novelist and dramatist. Few of us truly appreciate criticism, because no matter how valid or constructive, it can be embarrassing or annoying (especially when someone fails to offer a solution to the perceived problem). Poking holes in something is much easier than repairing them—yet most critics don't let that stop them. Hence the saying, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach; … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: ,

You Reap What You Sow: Creating an Environment of Accountability

Posted on 10/24/2012 by ·

"A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody." -- Thomas Paine, American Founding Father. "Corporations are like bacteria; you hit them with accountability and they mutate and change their names." -- Doug Anderson, American writer. Have you ever looked around and wondered, "Whatever happened to accountability?" Many of us have, especially when both business and government seem determined to rescue the worst troublemakers from the consequences of their actions at our expense. Remember the banking fiasco of 2008? Do you suppose any of the perpetrators suffered for their self-indulgence? Well, consider this: Immediately upon receiving a huge government bailout check, AIG—which posted a fourth-quarter loss of $62 billion, the largest in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: ,

SUPERCOMPETENT Key #4: ACCOUNTABILITY

Posted on 05/24/2010 by ·

SUPERCOMPETENT™ Key #4: ACCOUNTABILITY This month’s article correlates to the fifth key in my newest book SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (Wiley), to be released on August 9: ACCOUNTABILITY. EDITOR’S NOTE: Please don’t order my book yet! I’ll soon be announcing a very special BUY day on Amazon and B&N, where ordering will get you hundreds of dollars in free bonus gifts! Accountability recognizes that "the buck stops here." SuperCompetent people mean what they say and say what they mean. They're authentic, and other people know this and appreciate them for it—and also for their refusal to blame others when unforeseen circumstances trip them up. Their intense focus on their values is borne out in their demeanor and their sense of personal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity, Performance · Tagged: