Accountable Leaders Inspire a Culture Where Everyone Steps Up, Takes Ownership, and Delivers Results

Proven methods to push your organization to its maximum potential with responsible leadership

Accountable Leaders is the real-world guide to propelling your business to extraordinary levels of performance and achievement. Leadership accountability is a major issue in organizations around the globe. Research has shown that teams and individual employees are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the degree of accountability demonstrated by their leaders. Effective teams need responsible and accountable leaders—the solution seems simple. Yet, thousands of businesses are struggling with mediocre performance and widening gaps in leadership. This essential resource provides practical and no-nonsense strategies to transform any organization into a cohesive, highly motivated culture of accountable leaders and fully committed teams.

Bestselling author Dr. Vince Molinaro shares his proven methods of optimal leadership accountability, providing a step-by-step blueprint for leaders in any organization. Developed from years of experience helping Fortune 500 companies build strong leaders and effective teams, this book will enable you to:

• Build strong leadership accountability to leverage competitive advantage, increase team performance, and close the leadership gap in your organization
• Understand why gaps in leadership occur and recognize accountability issues in your own organization
• Develop an effective strategy to instill a culture of accountability and responsibility in your business
• Identify and implement organizational practices that encourage accountable leadership throughout your management structure

Accountable Leaders is a vital guide for anyone who leads a team: from managers and supervisors, to CEOs and CHROs. This invaluable guide will provide the tools and knowledge to take you and your organization to incredible levels of performance and achievement. 

VINCE MOLINARO, PHD, is an entrepreneur, speaker, global leadership adviser, and researcher on leadership accountability. The Founder and CEO of Leadership Contract Inc., Dr. Molinaro has helped create one of the leading brands in the human capital industry, working in several key sectors including financial services, healthcare, professional services, and energy and technology. He is the bestselling author of The Leadership Contract and The Leadership Contract Field Guide. His work has been featured in many of the world's leading business publications including The Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and The World Economic Forum.

Introduction xiii

Twenty-Five Countries and 80 Cities—the Story is the Same xiv

Is Anyone Happy? xvi

This is My Life’s Work xvii

It’s About Leadership Accountability xix

The Ripple Effect—Accountability Breeds Accountability xxiii

The Dual Response to Building Strong Leadership Accountability xxiv

My Wish for You xxvi

Notes xxvi

Part 1: The World in Which You Lead 1

Chapter 1 The New Game Begins Before the Old One Ends 3

The Story of Sears—a Once Great Company 4

The World in Which Leaders are Leading Today 6

Context Matters When It Comes to Leadership 8

The Emerging Context for All Leaders 9

Final Thoughts 15

Notes 16

Chapter 2 Why Do We Not Have Better Leadership? 21

Leadership is Not as Strong as It Needs to Be 22

The Price We Pay—an Inability to Successfully Execute Strategy 29

The Faulty Assumption We Continue to Make 30

Final Thoughts 31

Notes 32

Part 2: Understanding Leadership Accountability 35

Chapter 3 How to Think About Leadership Accountability 37

The Timeline of Leadership Challenges 37

A Turbulent Six Months at Uber 42

Leadership Accountability—Why It Matters 45

Final Thoughts 47

Notes 48

Chapter 4 Leadership Accountability at the Individual Level 51

It’s Time to Pay Attention to Mediocre Leaders 52

The Top Five Characteristics of Mediocre Leaders 53

How Do Truly Accountable Leaders Set Themselves Apart? 60

Final Thoughts 65

Notes 66

Chapter 5 Leadership Accountability at the Team Level 69

Teams Have Transformed 70

Teams and Accountability—the Critical Connection 71

The Core Characteristics of Truly Accountable Teams 73

Accountable Teams—What the Research Reveals 75

Final Thoughts 85

Notes 86

Chapter 6 Leadership Accountability at the Culture Level 89

Culture: The Number One Asset and Number One Liability 90

What Exactly is Culture? 92

What Kind of Leadership Culture Would Enable You to Be at Your Best? 94

A Community of Leaders—the Current State 98

Final Thoughts 103

Notes 104

Part 3: The Organizational Response—for All Leaders 107

Chapter 7 How to Hold Others Accountable for Being Leaders 109

Make Leadership Accountability a Priority in How You Lead 111

Define Your Leadership Expectations 114

Increase the Resilience and Resolve of Your Direct Reports 120

Help Your Leaders Succeed Within the Broader Organization 122

Final Thoughts 123

Notes 123

Chapter 8 How to Build an Accountable Team 125

Make Leadership Accountability a Priority with Your Team 125

Define Your Team’s Obligation 130

Increase the Resilience and Resolve of Your Team 132

Be One Team with a United Front 139

Final Thoughts 140

Notes 141

Chapter 9 How to Be a Community Builder 143

Commit to Being a Community Builder 143

Think One-Company and Act in the Best Interest of Your Organization 147

Create the Foundation to Tackle the Hard Work 149

Support the Success of Your Peers and Colleagues 153

Final Thoughts 156

Note 156

Part 4: The Organizational Response for Senior Executives and Directors 157

Chapter 10 Make Leadership Accountability a Priority in Your Company 161

Leadership Accountability—the Critical Business Issue 161

Conduct a Leadership Accountability Audit 168

Lead a Strategic Leadership Conversation 170

Final Thoughts 174

Notes 175

Chapter 11 Define and Embed Clear Leadership Expectations 177

Leadership Expectations in Action—the Amazon Story 178

The Benefits of Having a Simple, Clear, and Inspiring Leadership Contract 179

The Failure Path to Avoid 181

Create a Clear Set of Leadership Expectations 181

A Company-Specific Leadership Contract in Action 189

Final Thoughts 193

Notes 193

Chapter 12 Do the Hard Work to Sustain Momentum 195

Demonstrate Zero Tolerance for Bad and Abusive Leadership Behavior 195

Address Your Unaccountable and Mediocre Leaders Head-On 197

Be Mindful of Whom You Put into Leadership Roles 204

Support Leaders at Critical Turning Points 206

Final Thoughts 207

Notes 208

Chapter 13 Foster a Community of Leaders Across Your Organization 209

Assess Your Leadership Culture 210

Look for Leaks in Your Leadership Culture 214

Enable Relationship-Building Among Your Leaders 215

Evolve Your Leadership Expectations as Your Company Changes 220

Final Thoughts 222

Note 222

Conclusion 223

Acknowledgments 227

Index 229

About the Author 239

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