Welcome back to the Look and Sound of Leadership, an ongoing series of executive

coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want

to be perceived. I'm Tom Henschel, your executive coach,

and today we're talking about

holding people accountable.

I recently attended a personal growth workshop.

The morning of the first day, the leader

read a list of behaviors she wanted us to commit to. One was about confidentiality, another

was about respectful interactions, and so on. One I particularly liked was about punctual about by the time the music ends. She then played the music. We laughed when we recognized it as the opening

to 2001, a Space Odyssey. After reading the entire list of behaviors, the leader said, rather formally, all those who agree to abide by these

behaviors please indicate your agreement by standing up. We stood. She

looked around and then asked us to sit. Then, formally, she invited all who

disagreed to stand. No one did. At the end of the first break, the stirring fanfare began to play people raced for their

chairs the music began to build to its long final note in the silence that followed we

saw that there were two empty chairs.

The leader turned to a staffer and said quietly, there are two people who have broken their

agreement.

Would you please close the door and wait for them outside.

The staffer quickly went out and the leader launched into the next segment of the workshop.

In a few minutes one person and then another entered the room and swiftly took their seats. The leader seemed to do nothing at all about

their having been late. I was intrigued. Over lunch I approached the leader and asked her what

had happened out in the hallway to the two late-comers.

...