Proverbs 29: 19 A
servant will not be corrected by mere words; for though he understands, he will
not respond.
Proverbs
29: 19. Accountability is an often used
but too-seldom applied term in organizational leadership. What we call accountability is often just
reporting.
At
best, reporting shows that your people know what they were supposed to do, but
it doesn’t ensure that they did/ will do it.
Reports
are the summary and spin that one party gives to his leaders and
supervisors. Reports can clarify
questions with numbers and narratives, or reports can cloud results with
excuses and empty oration. Either way,
reports are mere words. REPORTING IS NOT
ACCOUNTABILITY.
Accountability begins
when the leaders peer into and through the reports
and see the actual results. ACCOUNTABILITY OCCURS WITH LEADERS RESPOND TO
RESULTS WITH CONSEQUENCES.
If
a leader never drills down through the ritual of reporting to the spirit and
truth of the actual results, then the leader doesn’t have an accurate basis for
holding people accountable. Once they
get down to the actual results, leaders have to take the next difficult, painful,
courageous, unpopular, and messy step.
They have to apply real results-based consequences.
A
cashier who gives back too much change won’t stop giving back too much change
because the manager asks him to. But f
the manager retrains the cashier AND docks his pay, the over-changing will
stop, or the cashier will quit---- which will stop the over-changing.
A
child who screams in the grocery store will not stop screaming because a parent
tells her to stop one time. She’ll stop screaming when she has been taught
proper behavior and shown that painful consequences follow her parent
telling her to stop more than one time.
Many
of our families, our schools, our communities, and our churches are corrupt,
powerless, and declining because we don’t hold people accountable. We take reports at face value and never look
for the real results. They say,
“Everything fine,” so we ignore the smoke pouring out of the building. No accountability.
We
see the destruction and the decline, but we don’t want to hurt feelings, challenge
political strongholds, or risk retaliation; so we leave people the way we found
them in the positions where they can do the most harm and accept the empty
report that, “God is good.” No
accountability.
From
Congress to the county to the local church, we call for committees to write and
deliver reports. But reports are mere
words, and mere words are not enough to alter the inertia of failure. Accountability is the most difficult way, but
it’s the only way.
Jesus
modeled the practice of accountability.
Luke
chapters 9 & 10 begin with Jesus ordaining and appointing 82 leaders. The 12 apostles and the 70 others were given
specific evangelistic appointments and assignments.
They
reported back to Jesus on their work (Luke 9: 10; 10: 17), and Jesus drilled
down for spiritual, ministerial, and personal results.
- How well did they handle the resources/ lack of resources? (Luke 9: 3-5)
- When put on the spot could they organize and execute a feeding ministry in the field? (Luke 9: 12-13)
- Had they grown in their understanding of Jesus despite the views of the prevailing culture? (Luke 9: 18-20)
- Could they show actual spiritual results? (Luke 10: 9, 17
When
an appointed or potential leader some showed less understanding or less
commitment than Jesus required, He applied the consequence of direct Divine rebuke.
(Luke 9: 54-55; 9: 62; 10: 17-20)
Reports
+ Results + Consequences =
ACCOUNTABILITY.
It’s
difficult way, but it’s Jesus’ way---- the necessary path of accountability.
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a pastor, writer, community organizer
and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Call me at 334-288-0577
To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more
about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme@blogspotcom.
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