The Oz Principle
Book Study
Chapter 3
There’s No Place Like Home: Focusing on Results
Accountability Poorly Defined
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“Most view accountability as something that happens when performance wanes,
problems develop or results fail to materialize.”
People tend to look for who is at fault for failure and not for whom is responsible for
success.
In order to overcome the excuse impulse, people must first abandon the past oriented,
blame centered who-done-it definition of accountability.
When problems arise people have a tendency to want to push the focus off of them and
not look for a solution to the problem.
Over time people have been getting better at playing the blame game and are spending
more time documenting others faults for when the failure occurs that they lose time
trying to find a solution to the broken piece.
“Winning the game of life equals covering your tail.”
These are the old Below the Line ways of looking at accountability.
A Powerful Definition of Accountability
Accountability is a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate
the ownership necessary for achieving desired results through a See it, Own it, Solve it, Do it
mindset.
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This looks like a mindset of continually asking “What else can I do to make this better
and achieve my goal.”
It requires a level of ownership that includes making, keeping and answering for
personal commitments.
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This type of mindset allows for proactive efforts of anticipating issues and working to
fix them so that they do not occur instead of reactive ones.
“Most organizations operate on the belief that fear of failure will cause people to
succeed. To the contrary, this assumption only leads people to prepare their excuses of
history before the fact.”
Accountability can, when used properly, change the outcome before it happens.
Being proactive can prevent fatal problems from popping up.
Joint Accountability
This is sharing ownership for circumstances and results. Joint accountability summed up:
“Everybody working together so that we do not drop the ball; but when it does get dropped,
everyone dives for the ball to pick it up.”
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When an organization fails to perform well, it represents a collective or shared failure.
For us as teachers we say things like “Those are not MY kids those kids are his/hers. Or
MY kids did well on the last STAAR, it was those other teacher’s kids that failed.”
Apollo 13 had a major malfunction that could have killed all those on board if it were
not for the collective mindset of “How do we get our guys home safely.” They all moved
to solve problems and did not give up when it got difficult. The joint accountability of
that group was sitting in that capsule. The result was them getting back safely. Working
together for a common goal.
Helping people “Ring the Bell.”
“We know that there are a lot of things we need to do to make this happen. We also
know that some of these things will maybe extremely difficult and may seriously test our team,
but in the end, we’ve accomplished nothing until we get this one most important result.”
The Benefits of Applying Accountability the OZ Principle Way
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Abandon the who-done-it game and the false sense of security that it provides when
you pin the blame on others.
Given these obstacles we face, and they are huge ones, what else can we do to rise
above this and achieve the results we want and the company (school) needs.
Get Focused not Frustrated!
Preparing to Climb the Steps to Accountability
Creeping elegance: Changing what is wanted often and quickly to the product or system
before previous changes have been completed. The example used is related to a defibrillator
that people wanted to add feature after feature to and the product and they fell behind their
competitors.
Climbing the Steps to Accountability
It takes time, effort, commitment and sometimes even emotional trauma, to get onto
the Steps of Accountability and stay there, but no organization that moves to above the line
thinking wants to go back to the blame game. When accountability is used correctly it builds
people and organizations up instead of promoting bringing them down.
Things you can do to move above the line and onto those steps:
 Invite candid feedback from those you work with on your performance.
 Know your reality, including its problems and challenges.
 Give it your all, Teach like your hair is on fire!
 Do not waste time on things that you cannot control or change.
 Do not hide from the truth own up to it and accept it, good, bad or indifferent.
 Make things happen, develop your team and yourself.
 When you are getting Below the Line (Negative) work quickly to get back to Above the
Line (Positive) thinking. Attitude changes everything.