Sunstone HR (HR Consulting)

Perseverance Is Paramount to Success "GET BACK ON THE HORSE" At the age of 11 I had my own palomino horse that I named Buck, due to his buckskin color. Buck was a good workhorse and was great in the mountains, but I had ambitions of team roping with my father. Going to the arena with my dad to rope was something that I looked forward to. I mostly helped to herd the calves after they were released, but on one occasion I was given an opportunity to back into the chute and chase a ‘muley’ (calf without horns). I excitedly backed Buck into the chute and when the gates opened I kicked Buck and did my best “Heeyah!” Buck didn’t move. The calf now well out of reach I kicked again. Buck calmly walked out of the chute, lowered his head and began to buck, trying to throw me. I held on for a few of the crow-hops, but eventually was thrown from the horse. I dusted myself off, grabbed the reins and started to walk Buck to the side of the arena. I was done. I was embarrassed...

When things go wrong in an organization, people see very quickly what the leader is made of. Leaders are generally given the benefit of the doubt when things are going well and the assumption is that the leader created those successes. There’s an interesting change in mindset of the organization when things are going poorly. The organization often doesn’t immediately fault the leader, but looks to the leader to proclaim what the source of the problem might be. How a leader responds when results are poor is a great test of her character. A good leader will remember that accountability flows uphill, while credit flows downhill. Judge Smails, from the classic golf movie Caddyshack shared a witty poem about this leadership attitude: “ It's easy to grin When your ship comes in And you've got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile, Is the man who can smile, When his shorts are too tight in the seat .” ACCOUNTABILITY FLOWS UPHILL Here’s a few stor...