Whenever you see significant progress in an organization, it's because the leader made courageous decisions. However, a leadership position doesn't give a person courage, but courage can give them a leadership position. As you approach the tough decisions that will challenge you, recognize these truths about courage:

1. Courage begins with an inward battle. Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do.

2. Courage is making things right, not just smoothing them over. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

3. Courage in a leader inspires commitment from followers. "Courage is contagious," says evangelist Billy Graham. "When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened." Courage by a leader inspires.

4. Your life expands in proportion to your courage. Roman historian Tacitus said, "The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise." But courage opens doors, and that's one of its most wonderful benefits.

All the training in the world will provide only limited success if you don't turn your people loose to do the job. The way to do that is to give them responsibility, authority, and accountability.

For some people, responsibility is the easiest to give. But what is difficult for some leaders is allowing their people to keep the responsibility after it's been given. Poor managers want to control every detail of their people's work. When that happens, the potential leaders who work for them become frustrated and don't develop. Rather than desiring more responsibility, they become indifferent or avoid responsibility altogether.

With responsibility must go authority. Winston Churchill said in an address, "I am your servant. You have the right to dismiss me when you please. What you have no right to do is ask me to bear responsibility without the power of action."

Once responsibility and authority have been given to people, they become empowered to make things happen. But we also have to be sure that they are making the right things happen. That's where accountability comes into the picture.

It is usually easier to present change as a simple refinement of "the way we've been doing it" rather than something new and different. When a proposal for change is introduced in an organization, people fall into five categories in terms of their response:

Innovators-They are the originators of new ideas and generally are not acknowledged as leaders or policy makers.

Early Adopters-They are those who know a good idea when they see it.

Middle Adopters-They are the majority. They will respond to the opinions of others.

Late Adopters-They are the last group to endorse an idea. They often speak against proposed changes and may never verbally acknowledge acceptance.

Laggards-They are always against change. Their commitment is to the status quo and the past. Often they try to create division within the organization.

Just about anyone would agree that growing is a good thing, but relatively few people actually dedicate themselves to the process. Why? Because growth requires change, and change is hard for most people. But the truth is that without change, growth is impossible.

Most people fight against change, especially when it affects them personally. As novelist Leo Tolstoy said, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." The ironic thing is that change is inevitable. Everybody has to deal with it in their lives. On the other hand, growth is optional. You can choose to grow or to fight it. But know this: people unwilling to grow & change will never reach their potential.

The quality most needed among teammates amidst the pressure of a difficult challenge is collaboration. Becoming a collaborative team player requires a change in four areas:

1.Perception: See teammates as collaborators, not competitors-completing one another is more important than competing with one another.
2.Attitude: Be supportive, not suspicious, of teammates-if you trust people, you will treat them better. And both you and they will be more likely to create collaborative relationships.
3.Focus: Concentrate on the team, not yourself-author Cavett Roberts points out, "True progress in any field is a relay race and not a single event." If you focus on the team and not just yourself, you will be able to pass the baton when necessary.
4.Results: Create great victories through multiplication-collaboration has a multiplying effect on everything you do, because it releases and harnesses not only your skills but those of everyone on the team.

I regularly do one on one coaching and counselling for friends and business acquaintances.

When talking to general managers or CEO's of businesses I sometimes get asked "We have a manager/leader/friend in jeopardy, can they be saved?). With rare exception, the answer is yes. Given the right tools and environment, they can transform their behaviours and sustain change over time. What is required is the willingness of the person in question to honestly confront his/her blind spots and take 100% accountability for their action's/business results and their impact on people. The person must learn new skills on for how to engage with others. Equally as import the environment must support the practise of committed partnership: standing for success of each other, honouring and fulfilling commitments, talking straight and responsibility, aligning emotionally and intelligently and holding each other accountable.

Simply telling someone that he or she needs to "get on board" or work more effectively with others is pointless. Words alone do not alter behaviours. While people may understand the logic of what your saying, they will not recognise the emotional impact their behaviour has on others. Even if they do understand the impact of their behaviour, most do not have the skills to correct it and sustain new behaviours over time. Even with the best intention a person will default to old and unproductive behaviours without structure and support.

In my work, I constantly find people to be highly committed and accountable. Its rare to find someone who does not have a overriding commitment to do their best. But this is often accompanies by frustration and feeling hampered, misunderstood and alone. Combine these feelings of separation with low levels of awareness about the impact on others, and you have a formula for good people behaving in unproductive ways.

People do not change their behaviour unless they experience a shocking comprehension about how their behaviour is inconsistent with their fundamental beliefs and values. For a person to change his/her behaviour, something - such as constructive intervention - must happen to create a profound and heightened sense of awareness.

Have you been wronged? If so, you're faced with a decision. Are you going to spend your time and energy on what should have been, or are you going to focus on what can be?

Even when truth and justice are on your side, you may never be able to right your wrongs. Continually fighting for your rights will just make you resentful and angry. Those are all destructive emotions that tap our energy and make us negative. And besides, when people focus on their rights, they're often looking backward rather than forward.

When we stop worrying about our rights, it focuses us in the right direction and releases us to move forward on the journey. We recognize the wrongs, but we forgive them, and focus on what we can control-our responsibilities. When we do that, it increases our energy, builds our potential, and improves our prospects.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do..

The only way to love what you do is to be engaged and challenged..

The only way to be engaged and challenged is working towards a ultimate goal. 

As a leader or manager within a organisation if you want to engage your people and have them take ownership then you need to understand their goals and have a plan in SMART plan in place to support your staff goals.

http://www.whamond.net/4/category/smart%20goals/1.html

When it comes to assessing leadership effectiveness, there are only two legitimate measures: the business results you produce and how others respond to your leadership. Your effectiveness as a leader is based on the extent to which others perceive you as credible and trustworthy, which, in turn, is what inspires confidence and generates results.

How many issues are hidden from sight and remain unresolved, waiting to explode with devastating consequences for your organization? How many times have you found out too late that there is a problem? And how many times do you find yourself intervening to get things back on track? For companies that do not have a methodology in place for handling breakdowns and talking straight responsibly, that sequence of events is a daily occurrence.

We think we talk straight, but in practice, we fall far short of the mark. We dance around the real issue and dole out information as though we are dealing with the infirm, who in their weakened state are incapable of handling straightforward communication. We think we are “protecting” people from hurt, so we do not talk about things that add to their distress.

But our real concern is for ourselves, not others. We avoid the discomfort of confronting sensitive issues and broaching what appears to be unsafe territory. We keep our real thoughts and feelings to ourselves, or hand them out to a privileged few and tell them to keep it private. But there is a significant gap between what leaders think is effective communication and what people want to hear.

People have a burgeoning capacity to hear the truth, but leaders have been taught to restrict and massage what they say. When leaders are not forthright and direct, people do not trust them; committed partnerships break down and teamwork crumbles. In a guarded and closed environment, there is a burning necessity to protect one’s own interests at the expense of others, and people revert to unproductive, automatic behaviors.

Talking straight responsibly is simple in principle but difficult to apply. Some leaders soften their message. Others dump their reactions on coworkers saying whatever is on their mind, thinking they are talking straight. Both are incorrect: Talking straight responsibly—with emphasis on the word responsibly—is not a license to say whatever you feel. It requires that you be authentic, emotionally honest, and accountable for what you say and how it impacts others.

Most leaders, by their own admission, avoid difficult or sensitive conversations. I have two questions for you:

Do you want people to talk straight to you and provide you with candid and complete feedback?

Are you willing to talk straight with others and provide them with candid and complete feedback?

The common response is to answer yes to the first question but no to the second. We want “straight talk” from others, but we are reluctant to talk straight to others.

By showing up late, whether 15 minutes or an hour, you are (purposefully or not) saying through your actions that your friend’s, coworker’s, or teacher’s time is not valuable to you. You are also breaking a verbal commitment to them which breaks any trust that they might have in you. In a world where there are fewer hours in a day than it takes to get everything accomplished, you are making someone waste their precious time on you by choosing something over them; this is the ultimate sign of disrespect. Not only are you disrespecting that other person, but you become a liar when you continually set up engagements only to break them. How can you hold onto friends or impress a boss when you cannot establish trust and respect?

We have destroyed the meaning of the word commitment. It used to be a significant pledge, a vow, a duty. The word commitment meant something; it was our word of honour. Today, we are consumed with trying to sort through real commitments versus casual, throwaway promises.

We make far too many casual promises. And we speak with little or no regard for carrying out the words we communicate. You put your integrity in the balance every time you commit. Others judge the fabric of your character by whether you keep your commitments and follow through on them in a timely manner. Casual promises and broken commitments are the quickest way to undermine your credibility.

You cannot be 100% accountable if you do not honor your commitments and behave in a way that is consistent with your words. Your relationship to commitments—both big and small—defines your character and decides your fate. It determines the sustainability of your committed partnerships. Leaders eventually fail when they leave a trail of broken promises and diminish their word to the point where they are no longer trusted.

When it comes to assessing leadership effectiveness, there are only two legitimate measures: the business results you produce and how others respond to your leadership. Your effectiveness as a leader is based on the extent to which others perceive you as credible and trustworthy, which, in turn, is what inspires confidence and generates results.

Agreements, commitments, promises, pledges, and pacts—call them anything you want. When you say the words “I will,” you are promising something to someone. The words commitment, promise, and agreement are pledges to do something. Respecting your word and honoring your commitments are expressions of your integrity and values. When your word means something, you can create anything. People whose word is respected are perceived as trustworthy, reliable, and credible. It takes strength of character to consistently demonstrate that your word is your bond.

Credibility is a multidimensional construct that consists of your expertise and your trustworthiness. If you are credible, people believe the truthfulness and correctness of what you say. Credibility is based on trust: can others count on you to do what you say you are going to do? You may be the best in your field with regard to knowledge and proficiency, but if you avoid making commitments or treat commitments casually, people will not trust you. When you do not keep your word in all matters, you destroy confidence. Your credibility at all levels in the organization is determined by how you relate to commitments. All people have is your word. What else is there?

A leader’s credibility requires living by his or her word. If you are of the misguided opinion that it is acceptable to break small commitments as long as you keep the big ones, you are heading for a huge fall—a fall in credibility. You might classify “I’ll call you tomorrow” as a small commitment that is not worthy of worry or angst should you neglect to follow through. But your thinking is flawed. It does not matter how you think your broken commitments will impact others. The only relevant data is the experience others have when you break your commitments.

Use any classification system you want, but when you separate important commitments from the not-so-important ones, you are creating a false dichotomy. When you say “Yes, I will do this,” you have committed. Your words carry weight, and you lose credibility each time you break or irresponsibly revoke a promise. The people around you tally commitments the same way one maintains a debit or credit ledger. 

When you break a commitment, others put a check mark in the debit column. When you keep a commitment, they put a check mark in the credit column. From the perspective of others, you are either a leader who keeps his or her word or one who does not. There is no gray area. The question you must answer is “Do you have the courage to live by your word, and to recover quickly and responsibly when you do not?”
Great leaders cut through the nonsense and do not tolerate disingenuous behavior, nor do they accept “reasonable” excuses as a substitute for business results. When leaders hold others accountable for their commitments and performance, not for activities and effort, they hold people to a higher standard and most will change their behavior.

When leaders change the rules of the game and raise the bar on how people are expected to behave, a few may leave the organization, but the overwhelming majority will stay and become passionately engaged. People want to do their best, and tolerating poor behavior in some lowers the standard for everyone.

Words are actions, and we use the words accountability, integrity, and commitment as if we are sprinkling sugar on cereal, adding a splash of flavor with no real substance. The words that represent our highest ideals and values no longer have potency. Without recognizing it, we accept a low standard of behavior that undermines business results.

In a culture of accountability, your word is your bond. Individuals and teams are caretakers of their promises, and they do not give or take commitments lightly. They treat commitments with respect and do not let circumstances or challenges stop them.
Your relationship to the words that come out of your mouth determines the extent of your power. If talk is cheap, and words are empty and hollow, then committing is not a powerful action. On the other hand, when commitments are kept or responsibly revoked, they are the linchpins for producing business results and the keys to greatness.

A person who keeps his or her agreements, commitments, and promises without excuses is living 100% accountability. Yet how many times have you been late to a meeting and dismissed it due to traffic or forgetfulness or blamed it on another meeting that went longer than expected? How much integrity do you have in keeping your word to yourself and others? As a leader, you are always sending a message to others. When you habitually break your commitments, you are saying “You are not important. Circumstances dictate my behavior.” There are legitimate urgent circumstances that justify breaking or altering a commitment. However, when circumstances determine your behavior daily, others will not trust your leadership.

Our automatic behaviour with trust is "You must earn my trust". But for many, earning trust takes a long time, sometimes year or even a lifetime. If we must wait to develop tust in working relationships, we have a problem. We must reverse out thinking of expecting trust to be earned, for which we place the burden of proof on the other party, and learn to grant trust based on shared commitments and agreements.

All issues must be put on the table and openly discussed with respect and candor; nothing should be taboo. If the issue impacts performance, execution, or quality of relationships, it should be immediately discussed and resolved.

How many trusted colleagues - people you can count on unconditionally - do you have on your team in your organisation? If your like most people, you have only a handful of trusted partners. Most people only have a small fraction of the people they interact with on a daily basis in their inner trust. When people and teams do not trust on another, they compensate for low trust levels by second-guessing leaders, making redundant efforts, micromanaging, and locking on the tactical issues rather than maintaining a strategic focus.

It is typical and tragically true that you will rarely know what happened when you are removed from a persons inner circle of trust because you failed to live up to unspoken criteria.

We seldom stop and consider where people are in our circle of trust. we simply respond automatically and in a different way with those we trust that with those we dont. When was the last time you said to someone "You are outside my circle of trust"? Your behaviours probably send the message anyway, likewise others are constantly sending you messages about where you are on their circle of trust. Unless we build committed partnerships and have a way to build and restore trust, we are left with devastating, frustrating and unproductive situations.

Committed partners operate at a high level of integrity and accountability. They agree to a high standard of behaviour for how they will interact, align, and deal with breakdowns. They stand for the success of each-other privately and publicly.

They grant each other trust and agree to immediately talk to the appropriate person if they feel they can no longer stand for them. The declaration of committed partners is "I am granting you trust. If at any point I feel I cannot trust you, I will talk with you immediately and not to others people. If their is a breakdown between us, you have my commitment that I will address it immediately with you to resolve our partnership"