Accountability begins long before something goes wrong. This is still true, even more so, in the Age of AI.
I see that clearly during a strategy call about an upcoming launch. A new leader has stepped into a development role. In front of him sit two lists with ninety-three key contacts. The goal is simple: personally connect with each one before the kickoff event.
"The lack of trust is your biggest expense," says David Horsager, author of The Trust Edge. We all agree, don't we, that trust is easy to lose and hard to rebuild — especially under pressure in the Age of AI.
Introduction to the Character Matters Series
The moment that stays with me does not happen at a leadership conference. It happens in a doctor's waiting room.
Across from me sits a young mother with five children, all under the age of ten. They are quiet. Remarkably quiet. Each one stares into a glowing screen. No one looks up. Not when I walk in. Not when nurses pass by. Not even when their names are called.
At the beginning of each new year, I find myself doing a leadership developmentexercise: I look back at a few favorite books and ask, “Should I re-read any of these?” Not because I’ve forgotten the content, but because certain books have a way of re-centering my thinking when the world feels noisy.
One of those books for me is QBQ! The Question Behind the Questionby John G. Miller.