Business accountability in simplest terms means you do what you say you are going to do as a business. In contrast, the norm today is to over-promise and under-deliver. Dates and times mean almost nothing. Many companies can’t even hit within the time range they communicate. Charging above the quoted price has become so common, many of us have just come to expect it.
A lack of business accountability has infected our thinking as business owners and leaders. It’s an epidemic. A global Internet service provider markets and sells 12 Mbps access. In reality, you’ll get 10.5 to 11.5, never 12. In their thinking, that’s acceptable.
Accountable businesses that deliver in keeping with what they have said/promoted, are quickly becoming the exception – the new exceptional. If they deliver more that what they have said, they move to the top of the list. They are truly a rare breed.
So what kind of company are you going to be in 2011 and beyond? Will you be an accountable business? If so, only promise what you know you are going to deliver, and if you can do a little better, you’ll be rewarded for it.
