How Did that Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way.

• Author: Marshall, Jeffrey
• Position: Book review

How did that Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way. By Roger Connors and Tom Smith. Portfolio, 268 pages. $26.95.

Most business experts would probably cite leadership as the most important factor in a business's success. For authors Connors and Smith, it's accountability, of which they write that no other attribute of individual or organizational life contributes more to the success of individuals, teams and organizations.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Consider the source: The authors are cofounders of Partners in Leadership, a provider of accountability training services that claims more than 700 clients in 56 countries. As they define it, accountability is not about punishment, nor is it solely an attitude or a way to act. To them, it's "a way of being" that empowers people and teams; it's also a personal attribute "that exemplifies who you are."

The book moves through a series of programmatic steps, using a theoretical framework buttressed by what they call the "outer ring," where expectations for the organization are set. In subsequent chapters, expectations are formed, communicated, aligned and inspected. Later chapters examine motivation, training and...