Are you holding others to a standard that you're not really living out yourself? You know, it's easy to point fingers to expect accountability from your team, your coworkers, even your family. The true leadership starts with one word, example. This is Leading 10, and I'm Chris Moore, and today we're talking about a foundational truth in leadership accountability. It starts with you, Romans chapter 14, verse 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Paul makes it clear. Every one of us will give an account. Not for our team, not for our followers, not for what someone else didn't do, but for ourselves. And that includes you because before you can ask others to be accountable, you must lead the way. You know, we all love the word accountability when we're in leadership or management. Until that word shows up in front of us in the mirror, you know, we want our employees to be responsible. We want our kids to follow through and to listen. We want our teams to hit goals. We wanna meet deadlines, but leadership means we go first. If you expect excellence, you have to model it. If you want honesty, you have to speak it. If you value discipline, you have to live it because nothing erodes trust faster than a leader who says one thing. Does another lives another. So what does this say about us? First of all, it says something I think we all realize, especially if you've had kids, we're tempted to shift responsibility. We blame the system. We criticize the culture. We call out everyone around us and their blind spots, but we avoid our own. And that's human nature, but it's not godly leadership. You know, what does this say about God? It says that he's not playing favorites. He does not care about your title. He's not impressed. He doesn't care about your credentials, and he's not reading your resume. He already knows it. He looks at your heart. He watches how you live, and he expects integrity behind your influence. Let's break this down. Accountability is not about being perfect. It's about being honest. It's about owning your actions, your decisions, the tone you speak with, and owning your results. It's about saying, Hey, if I drop the ball, I'll own it. If I led poorly, I'm gonna admit it. If I promise something, I'm going to follow through. And we discover that type of leadership, it's. It's rare. It's rare in today's world, and that's why it's so powerful because when your team sees that you're accountable, they're far more likely to follow you and to do the same. You see, you set the temperature, you set the tone. People don't just do what you say. They do what you model. So if you're frustrated with a lack of accountability around you, the first step is not confrontation. It's a little reflection. Where have I been inconsistent? Where have I tolerated those things that I should have corrected? Where have I excused what I should have owned? Those are hard questions, but asking them makes you better. So what's the application for us, for our leadership? We should model that personal accountability. Start with yourself before you correct others. You know, is, is this my mistake? Is this my lack of leadership? And if you've made a mistake, you need to own it and you need to own it publicly. If you're behind on a deadline, communicate it. Make some adjustments. If you promise to follow up, just do it. Let your team see that your words match your actions. Why? Because leaders who live with accountability, build teams who thrive on trust. Trust is a foundation for everything else, for our culture, for our performance, for loyalty, and for our business growth. Your accountability unlocks theirs, not through pressure, but through presence, not through perfection, but through your consistency. The people around you, they're not looking for you to be flawless. They already know that you're not. But they do ask that you're faithful, that you're a faithful leader, that someone who just keeps showing up when times are good, when times are bad, when you've messed up and when you haven't, and that you keep growing, that you keep taking responsibility when it's easier to make excuses. Especially. Let me ask you, what would change if you raised your own accountability level where it is right now, just by 10%. Would your team trust you more? Would your influence go deeper with people? Uh, would you lead with more peace and a lot less pressure? You know, you don't need to write out a new policy to change culture. What you do need is personal commitment to the change that you want to see, because accountability just like everything else in your business and and around you, it doesn't start with them. It starts with you. So here's your challenge for today. Share one recent leadership lesson that you learned. The hard way could be with your team, with your spouse, with your inner circle of people that you're just close to. Let them see that you're growing too. That vulnerability builds credibility and it tells others, if I can own my growth, you can own yours too. Leadership is not about always being right, but it is always about being real. It's about recognizing what's truly happening and our part in it. And it's about stepping up, not just when things are going well, especially, especially stepping up when they don't. And if you wanna build a culture of accountability, start by looking in the mirror. This is Leading 10. I'm Chris Moore. It's time to lead with integrity and take full responsibility for the atmosphere that you're creating around you. This gave you something to think about. Hope you'll tap the like button. Subscribe and share this with one leader who models accountability. Well, and one maybe needs to start. I'll see you next time.