“OK, summing up, here’s what I’ve committed to: I’ve got three action items here. Item one is to review the Johnson proposal and make a yes or no decision by this Friday end of business. Item two is to give feedback via email to Carl about the new orientation process. And item three is to send out the date of our next quarterly planning session to the exec team by noon tomorrow.” [I encourage you to visibly write down each action item in your notes as your meeting progresses.] “Now, Cheryl, I have down that you’ve committed to two items … “
Plus, when you’re clear on what you are handing a team member, you are also raising the accountability bar inside your company.
3. Are you closing the loop?
Another mark of a good leader is the ability to close the accountability loop. You have staff members, vendors, and customers relying on you to perform certain tasks, so it is up to you to deliver as promised. When you complete a task, make sure that everyone knows that the task is complete and ready to go. This could be something as simple as:
“Gina, as promised, here is the proposal due tomorrow … “
4. Are you practicing good stress-management behavior?
Running a business is stressful. And recently we have seen several high-profile CEOs crack under the pressure. How you act when the stakes are high says a lot about you as a leader and as a business.
How you react to stress leaves a magnified impression on your team, customers, vendors, and investors. Being on your best behavior is crucial to teaching the rest of your team about integrity and acceptable stress management.
The combination of these four key behaviors will help you lead with integrity inside your company.