 One
thing I enjoy doing is following organizations
facing great challenges and crises and observing
how their leaders handle the situation and what
level of personal accountability they demonstrate
throughout the crisis. One thing I have found
is that organizations who have leaders that take
personal accountability for the situation and
focus on what they can do about it fare much better
than those with leaders who blame others, procrastinate
solutions, and play victim to their circumstances.
Living in
Bismarck, North Dakota I must say I was somewhat
surprised that a major outbreak of food born illness
(listeriosis) in Canada had slipped under my radar.
This outbreak was particularly tragic as it led
to 12 confirmed deaths and made many others seriously
ill.
As I researched the outbreak and found that it
was linked to the Toronto based Maple Leaf Foods
Company my thoughts immediately turned to its
leader - Michael McCain - and how he was handling
the crisis.
With such
a tragic crisis, nobody wants to be held responsible,
least of all the leader of an organization with
so much to lose personally and financially. Given
the lack of personal accountability I have witnessed
during recent organizational crises a Google News
search for Mr. McCain and Maple Leaf Foods left
me both surprised and pleased.
McCain has
very publically taken full personal responsibility
for the situation and has been incredibly transparent
and forthright about the tragedy. McCain has provided
very clear and concise details about his organizations
operations, where the outbreak originated from,
and what is being done to control the deadly outbreak
as quickly as possible.
In light
of the tragic circumstances his organization was
responsible McCain made the following statement
at a press conference:
"Certainly
knowing that there is a desire to assign blame,
I want to reiterate that the buck stops right
here… our best efforts failed, not the regulators
or the Canadian food safety system… I emphasize:
this is our accountability and it's ours to fix,
which we are taking on fully."
WOW. Such
candid words or personal responsibility for such
a tragic event are almost hard to believe in our
society's culture.
I can't help
but think that McCain's legacy as a leader will
not be characterized by the deaths that his organization
was responsible for, but rather those five words
or personal accountability - "The buck stops
right here."
McCain could have blamed others for the situation
- the Canadian food safety system for not having
strict enough safety guidelines, his distributors
for not handling the food products properly, his
managers and employees for not following internal
food safety procedures, or even the suppliers
of the cleaning products his organization uses
to disinfect work surfaces - in an effort to save
face and not appear responsible for such a tragic
nightmare come to life.
He did not.
By choosing
to take full responsibility and resisting the
urge to blame others, McCain stands as a great
example of the importance of personal accountability
in times of organizational crisis. Because of
his candor, honesty, and willingness to accept
personal accountability for the events that took
place, many expect Maple Leaf Foods to weather
this storm and regain their customer's trust.
I think we
can all learn a lot about personal accountability
and the role it plays in leadership from Mr. McCain's
actions.
Everyone
has the ability to assume leadership and make
a difference in their organization. It all starts
with personal accountability.
Now go
maximize possibility!
1-866-988-RAIN
Copyright 2008
The Rainmaker Group, Inc.
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