Principles of Leadership - Practice Accountability

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.

During 2022, my theme has been “10 Principles of Spiritual Leadership”.  Today we have reached the ninth principle which is Practice Accountability.  To be accountable is to give an account for one’s performance or behavior related to something for which they are responsible. 

Jesus taught about accountability in His parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.  You likely remember the story.  A man went away on a journey and left certain amounts of money to his three servants. The first servant received five bags, the second received two and the third servant received one bag … “dividing it in proportion to their abilities.” (vs 15)

The story continues in verse 19, “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.” [emphasis added] The first two servants had doubled their sums and received much praise from their master.  (vss 20-23) 

However, the third servant confessed, “I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’  “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! …” (vss 25-26a). The one bag was taken from this man and given to the servant who now had 10.  

The master in this parable practiced accountability with his servants (as our Heavenly Master practices accountability with us).  He required them to give account for what they received.  I draw several points from this parable. 

• Responsibility was entrusted to each “in proportion to their abilities”.  As leaders, it is imperative that we (firstly) have an awareness of the abilities of those on our team, and (secondly) that we give them assignments that are consistent with those abilities. 

• In principle #6, we discussed the importance of leaders delegating authority.  In that episode I said, “having delegated a task, we cannot merely walk away, assuming that everything will be accomplished as expected.”  Delegation at the beginning must be accompanied with accountability at the conclusion. 

• Accountability, like feedback in principle #8, may have either a positive or a negative outcome.  The master in our parable expressed great praise for the first two servants who doubled what they were entrusted with.  As leaders, when practicing accountability, it is our responsibility to encourage and reinforce the good outcomes of our followers.  (By the way, this also applies in our role as parents with children.) 

• Effective leaders have the courage to hold others responsible when they have done wrongly.  We will discuss this in further detail in our next episode.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.