Accountability is not a defense
Filed under: Musings | Tags: accountability, business, responsibility
Comments (4) Back in what seems like a lifetime ago, I worked at a great place with some really great people who taught me an important lesson that everyone should be forced to learn. It’s a hard pill to swallow and takes constant work to maintain, but it is a lesson in real accountability and in recognizing your part in every issue you encounter. If I brought a problem or complaint to my boss he would always start by asking me questions. The most important was “what part did you play?”
Accountability is not a defense or an opportunity to blame. What does that mean? It means that accountability is personal responsibility. It is something that you hold yourself to; not something you should outsource to a manager or peer. It’s good to help others recognize opportunities to be more reliable and to expect accountable behavior from people you work with. But it’s the old adage “you can only control the things you can control.” It also means that if someone else fails you can’t use their failure as an excuse for your own.
If you want something to get done right or you have a personal interest in the outcome of something, you should keep an eye on it. Be informed, be a guide and be a facilitator. Make sure the people you count on are put in a position to succeed and follow everything through.
I know that there will be some out there who will argue that you can demand accountability, but in the end, you can’t. You can surround yourself with people who will hold themselves accountable, but you have no control over the behaviors of others. As a manager or a business owner you have the power to force people to follow rules or suffer the consequences, but it’s not the same.
So the next time you think somebody screwed you, think “what did I do that allowed this to happen?” And figure out how you can make sure to not repeat that mistake.
You are complicit in nearly everything that happens to you. There are very few actual victims. The sooner you learn that, and live it, the more you will grow.
UPDATE: Some people asked me who this is for or about. It’s not for anyone, but it is for everyone. Including, and especially, me.
Blind faith and dedication are powerful
I just watched this video from NFL.com on Lance Long. Lance was a walk-on at Mississippi State and an undrafted free agent on the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals. He hopes to be a contributing member of the 53 man roster this year.
His path to professional football has never been easy. But he gets up every day and goes out to make himself better at his job. He strives to be the best he can and contribute to the success of something much bigger than himself. Think about how you approach each of your days. Do you push yourself everyday? Do you strive to be something bigger and better than what people give you credit for? Do you care about something so much that you will blindly follow a path towards it each day without letting the pressure of the future derail you?
I am always moved by stories like these. It illustrates that hard work, focus, and dedication is everything.
@RealJoe is a Real Genius
I’m sitting at Liberty Market and I was inspired to write this. Which is saying a lot considering what a terrible blogger I am.
Liberty Market is busy this morning as it seems to be every time I come here, and it just sank in that @RealJoe is a true genius in the business world. Across the street is Joe’s Real BBQ another amazing place to eat and one that is regularly busy even in this crappy economy. Of course this one too is run by Joe.
However, also across the street is a place that used to be called “Grain Belt” and before that it was a multitude of places each with it’s own theme. It even carried the name of one of the most beloved sports stars in Arizona, Luis Gonzalez. But Gonzo’s crapped out like the rest. And so the building sits, an empty symbol of failure.
What makes the Joe joints thrive, while the “Grain Belt” died. It’s not location location location as “they” always say, but it’s more about being the right place with the right attitude and the right food for Joe. The food is precise and amazing. Recipes that were hunted down and vetted to be perfect for each place. The decor suits each place without getting in the way. The wifi is free and predictable. Everything is calculated and implemented according to a master plan by a man who knows his customers.
Details. Details. Details.
Rarely am I this impressed with an individual in business, but I think Joe is my new hero.
Community in Conflict?
I can see that this is a dangerous topic, so I will tread as lightly as I can. Community is such a foreign concept in the tech/creative circles in AZ, it seems that we don’t know how to let it grow without force.
If you don’t already, you should know that I am a Gangplanker (http://gangplankhq.com), and that I have not been to many non-Gangplank events. Not because I don’t appreciate them or that I have anything against them, but it’s just hard with all the Gangplank events and a family to make it.
However, I do know one thing. Community is an organic and capable organism. It can determine what is important. What works. What it needs. It will also decide what sucks and is a waste of time. It does not need people who “know better” telling it what it should think and what won’t work.
Don’t get me wrong, I love people who support Gangplank. We could use more. Especially those who fervently evangelize and defend Gangplank from those that find it in their best interest to tear it down. But if the people of our community choose an alternative because it offers something more or better, good. Good for the community.
If you are in AZ and care about community, push past the bickering. Stop working against each other and throwing veiled barbs and 140-character call-outs. If you have a grudge or personal agenda you are NOT working for the community.
Vote for My SXSW Panel… All the cool kids are doing it!
I submitted a panel for consideration to SXSW. It’s titled “How Social Networks Are Killing the Revolution.” Click here to go straight to my awesome panel and vote for it. I also recommend that you visit the panel picker and vote for all the cool ones.
UPDATE: Some cool panels you should look at.
- Andrew Hyde: Happiness (or Not) In Startups
- Andrew Hyde: You and Your LOLcat’s Mom Sucks
- Sally Strebel: 5 Common Misperceptions of Technological Creativity
- Josh Strebel: FAIL As If Your Life Depends On It
- Derek Neighbors: Collaborative Development Environments
- James Archer: Brand Tribes: The Art of Creating a Community
SimpleSeating: Back Online!
The new server is online. All services are functioning and you may notice a couple of new features. After some additional testing I’ll get into those.
SimpleSeating Maintenance Tonight
Sorry for the late notice, but SimpleSeating will be down for some time this evening as we will be performing some maintenance on our servers and deploying a few new features.
We are preparing an exciting new version release in the coming weeks, and these upgrades will allow our servers to handle the increase in traffic and usage that will result from the new features.
If you can not access SimpleSeating by tomorrow morning, email us at answers@simpleseating.com.
I’ll be speaking at Ignite Phoenix, don’t miss it
I’ve been selected to speak at Ignite Phoenix on August 12th (2008). Be there or be … un-ignited.
A good time may be had by all, but definitely by some. Register here. Check out the line-up of speakers here.
That is all. 
A stroll down memory lane
My first blog UnhappyEmployee.com started out as a project to try to show people how to overcome the roadblocks to personal achievment in business, but has digressed a bit into a personal blog. While I am contemplating the future of that site, I found a few nuggets that I thought would be applicable to this readership. So instead of reposting them here, I submit my greatest hits list if you will. I hope you enjoy.
10 things I’ve learned NOT to do when developing Web apps
I’ve been involved in the concept, design, and development of five substantial Web applications in the past 5 years (and countless small apps). Three of the five are public-use, 1 is a major internal publishing/syndication backbone, while the other is, let’s say … in a holding pattern.
To be sure, 5 major apps in 5 years is a LOT of work. And while I would love to be able to take full credit for them, I have to thank all of the wonderful developers and designers that bore the brunt of the labor. But being responsible for product development on each has provided me with some great insight into what makes one product more successful than another, and exactly how difficult it is to get an app from idea to version 1. Let alone version 1.x, 2 or (God forbid) 3.
In my product development strategy, I took a lot of inspiration from Paul Graham, 37 signals, and Guy Kawasaki to name a few. Mainly, that you should get your idea, develop it, and get it into the hands of your customers as fast as possible. Oh yeah and feedback, feedback, feedback!
I could go into a list of the things you need to know to be successful, but most of these things can be found all over the web (this one is my favorite), but frankly if it were that easy then everyone would have a twitter or facebook app.
No, I’m just going to tell you 10 things I’ve learned not to do.
- Don’t try to be all things to all people. Pick a target and meet their needs. You can expand later, but be the best you can be at what you *can* be the best at now.
- Don’t use the term “Web 2.0″ about your app. Focus on providing value, not meeting some undefined expectation of presentation. Think clean and useful.
- Don’t expect ad revenue to pay the bills or Google to buy you out. Neither is very likely.
- Don’t try to force yourself to build something you are not passionate about. Building an app is tough stuff even when you are passionate about it. If you aren’t, the last 10%-20% will stop you cold. (If you even get that far.)
- Don’t ignore your users problems. Be transparent and open. People have come to expect web apps to have small teams behind them in the early going. Be honest with them and they will be understanding.
- Don’t get discouraged by competition. No matter how good your idea is, someone else has probably thought of it. But that’s a good thing. Competition will make your app better.
- Don’t try to save the users from themselves. Good product design is your best defense, but don’t try to solve problems that your users may not run into. Give them a little credit.
- Don’t develop features unless your users tell you they want it. And only when enough of them say it that you can’t ignore it any longer. You can easily waste your time on things nobody will ever use.
- Don’t think getting funded is going to be easy. Getting funded is painful and difficult. No matter how much “money” is “floating around.”
- Don’t try to launch 5 apps in 5 years. This should be obvious but clearly I didn’t get that memo.
OK. I hope that was at least moderately helpful to someone. If you have anything you’d like to add to this list, drop it in the comments. I may rethink this post later and update it or make a new one about the success factors, but I think to presume that I have the answer is even beyond my ego.
Good luck with your apps!
