Fiction v. Non-Fiction

In the world of book publishing and printing, books fall into one of two categories: fiction or non-fiction.

It seems logical enough.

But, after all this time, I felt the need to stand up and question the choice of words.

Fiction means “not true, a made-up story.” I understand that.

And non-fiction means “a true or real story.”

So my question is, if fiction is untrue, why isn’t the other category simply called “Truth?”

The librarian would say, "Oh, you can find that in the 'truth' section under 'politics.'"

Okay. Now I get it!

(Just for fun.)

On Adopting A Culture Of Accountability

A powerful and effective accountability process helps your team and its members eliminate finger pointing, tear down organizational silos, learn to ask better questions, and accomplish more.

It helps people make better choices within the moment… and better choices that result in a better attitude among team members.

The ultimate payoff is better, more consistent performance by each and every team member individually… and the entire team as a whole.

“Life before accountability” places the blame onto someone or something else. You can identify this toxic business culture by the types of questions you hear… with many team members prone to asking questions such as:

1. When is somebody going to train me?
2. When is someone going to tell us what’s going on?
3. When are they going to do their job right?
4. Who dropped the ball this time?
5. Who’s going to solve the problem?
6. Why are we the last to know?
7. How do they expect me to do my job if so-and-so doesn’t do his first?

As your team becomes “accountability dependent…” and a culture of accountability begins to emerge… they change their mindset from negative to positive. You start to hear questions that begin with “what” or “how…” and that contain a positive “I” combined with a focus on action.

As a result, questions such as these become part of your organization’s corporate culture:

• How can I help?
• What could I do to make a difference?
• What choices do I have right now?
• What’s best for the company?
• What’s the ROI?

When we––as managers or team members––ask better questions (such as the five just mentioned) we get better answers… and we definitely get better results!

In the process, we enhance our emotional energy… and the emotional energy of those around us.

Asking better questions helps your organization to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination… thus allowing your team to grow––and leading the way to a corporate culture that gets the job done… on time… and well!

Here, then, are the 10 bottom-line payoffs you can expect when you introduce an effective accountability process into your business:

1. Adaptability, receptivity, and willingness to change
2. An atmosphere that fosters creative thinking and decision making
3. Boosting morale
4. Building effective and productive teams
5. Developing people power
6. Enhancing communication
7. Increasing problem solving abilities
8. Increasing productivity
9. Retaining good, better, and best employees
10. Tearing down and eliminating organizational roadblocks and silos that previously brought your organization to a standstill

CONCLUSION: As a business owner, implementing a formal accountability action plan and process is critical to your success… and to your ability to run your business like a business… and not a kindergarten in which you become the baby-sitter-in-chief. When you develop a culture of accountability that integrates with an easy-to-master, easy-to-use accountability process, you stop being the baby-sitter. At the same time, you watch your business grow and prosper.

No two situations are the same. If you’d like some tips and specific ideas on how you can integrate a culture of true accountability into your day-to-day business and personal lives, send an email to gil@strategiesforgrowth.net… or call me.

© 2007 Gil Effron