No, it’s not money. It’s not your beautiful smile or even your grade A customer list. It’s not your rich daddy or your good lookin’ mamma, and it’s definitely not your winning personality.

It’s so much deeper than that.

Being a good partner is the same as being a good person. And the qualities that make up a good person can be synthesized into one simple word:

A C C O U N T A B I L I T Y

Under the hood of that one word, you find a wealth of stellar human qualities: honor, honesty, strength, responsibility, trust, fairness, supportive, compassionate. To be accountable means you are all these things and more.

To be accountable means you hold others accountable. That is true leadership. It shows you care about your business and the people in it. Holding others accountable enables them to develop the very qualities listed above.

You give people a gift when you hold them accountable. In essence you are saying, “I stand up and trust that you will stand up.” Wow. That’s better than a raise.

The inspiring leadership coach Michael Hyatt (http://michaelhyatt.com/leadership-and-accountability.html) says that leadership and accountability are two sides of the same coin. He is absolutely right. Think about Richard Nixon, probably our most dramatic example of someone who just would not accept responsibility for his actions and the actions of those who worked under him. His is a sad legacy and a lesson on what not to do.

Nobody likes a blamer or a buck-passer. Letting one into your life, let alone your business, is asking to suffer. If you do that, then you and only you are accountable for the outcome.