With the election of Donald Trump, a whole series of controversies have predictably erupted. He seems particularly gifted at stirring the pot! This post isn’t intended to be a political commentary, but recent events have brought a particular leadership issue to the forefront.
Upon Trump taking office, Elon Musk was assigned to lead DOGE, which was created to look for inefficiencies in the government. It didn’t take him long. Billions of dollars were being wasted through either bureaucratic negligence or outright fraud. Musk found that government buildings were deserted, with staff working from home. He suggested that employees submit a short, bullet-point summary of what they had accomplished during the week. This instruction was seen as heavy handed and an abuse of power.
I don’t typically weigh into political issues, but I do focus on leadership matters. What interests me is that people are upset that they are being held accountable. Of course, much of the furor is the result of politics and fear of retribution. But it seems strange that employees who are paid great salaries and allowed to work from home should resent being asked to report what they have been doing. People today seem outright offended if they are made to give an account for their actions.
I talked with someone who used to work for a prominent ministry. The founder of the organization had been exposed for grievous sexual misconduct. I asked my friend how that had happened, as I assumed the organization had rigorous accountability policies in place. He told me I was correct, but the rules had not applied to the founder. No one dared suggest he needed to be held accountable.
I understand how awkward it can be to institute rules of accountability. But accountability is crucial. Humanity is flawed by sin. We are all vulnerable. Given the right circumstance, anyone could fail in a weak moment. Accountability simply acknowledges that we are frail creatures of dust. Personally, I admire organizations that institute rules and procedures that protect people from moral, ethical, or legal failures.
Billy Graham was famous for the rules he instituted for himself and his team. No one was exempt. Graham promoted those standards because he knew that people, even well-intentioned people, are prone to sin.
It is typically those who believe people are fundamentally good who push back against accountability. They find the practice insulting. Nevertheless, history shows that where there is no accountability, abuse inevitably results. Better to have clear, fair, guardrails around everyone so misconduct is kept to a minimum.
Don’t resent accountability. It is not intended to punish but to protect. Further, don’t wait for your boss to institute accountability for you. Build systems of accountability into your life. Construct systems that make it difficult to do wrong. Invite people to ask you hard questions. The inconvenience of accountability now may save you far worse disruptions later.
