The Contented Cow Blog

Building Workplaces That Work

I’m sorry that Atlanta attorney, Andrew Speaker has tuberculosis – I really am. He did nothing to deserve the disease, but neither did the hundreds of people who were exposed to the illness by his reckless and self-centered actions in traveling to and from his wedding in Greece via commercial air carrier.

I’m currently working on an upcoming speech in which the client has asked for some extra emphasis on accountability, and perhaps that has further incited my irritation with Mr. Speaker’s behavior, but I don’t think so. This just seems to be yet one more example of someone society should be able to presume is a mature, responsible adult, knowingly inconveniencing and/or endangering others in order to get what they want, when, where, and how they want it.

Intended for an audience of business leaders (current and future), a good portion of the aforementioned speech is devoted to the notion that being accountable for one’s actions goes beyond, way beyond accounting for said actions. Mr. Speaker has accounted for his actions… he even apologized, sort of. Speaking from his Denver hospital room, he reportedly told ABC news, “I don’t expect those people to ever forgive me, I just hope they understand that I truly never meant them any harm.” Translation: They know that I knew that the trip wasn’t a real good idea, but I just really, really, really wanted to exchange vows with the love of my life in Greece.

Had he been a little more accountable, not to mention thoughtful, Mr. Speaker might have realized that just because the law (his chosen profession) permitted him to take the trip, and the CDC couldn’t stop him, didn’t mean it was the responsible thing to do, let alone a good idea.

The message to leaders has to do with the fact that just because your rank or power suggests that you CAN do something doesn’t mean that you should. True accountability means that before you hit the “go” button you cool your jets for a moment, and consider the implications for others, the organization, and society as a whole. That way, one has less apologizing and accounting to do, and less need for, well, um… lawyers.

“A thought leader in the areas of leadership and employee engagement, Bill
Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps
individuals and organizations improve business outcomes (growth, profit,
morale) by having a focused, motivated, capably led workforce. For more
information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please go to
www.ContentedCows.com“

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.