Making Yourself Indispensable: The Power of Personal Accountability

by Mark Samuel

Overview

An inspirational self-improvement guide from a leader in personal and organizational accountability. Every day, we are faced with decisions from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed. Decisions about our families, our business, our futures. We are accountable for making decision, big and small, the cast the paths of our lives. So why do we spend so much time finger-pointing and blaming others? Mark Samuel is a master of accountability. In his book, teaches us how to go from victim to accountable and how to actually do what we say we are going to do. Taking ownership of the power of personal choice, regardless of the obstacles, means not only walking the talk but knowing what talk you are going to walk. Faced with fear of blame, fear of failure and fear of success, Samuel provides inspiration and strategy for impacting the world by achieving your goals. One of Samuel's main arguments in owning accountability is recognizing your current reality. He challenges readers to embrace certain "tools" that can place us in the right frame of mind to accept responsibility and accomplish all of our set goals both individually and as team members including: ·Compassion: in taking accountability, also creating solutions that consider the welfare of all parties involved and for the entire organization in general. ·Openness: let each member of the team, regardless of rank, have a chance to speak up and share their perspective in problem-solving ·Sincerity: acknowledge the current reality with honesty yet without judgment. Call it what it is without criticizing at this stage From identifying the common roadblocks to accountability to focusing on the factor of forgiveness in taking responsibility, Samuel shows readers how to effectively stop the cycle of victimhood and blaming and shows us how to engage in the "accountability loop," a process of pragmatic self-examination, recognition and owning, and action. Using examples from the worlds of business, sports, parables and his own life story, Samuel highly-praised accountability lessons are now available for anyone to learn from.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591844693
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/12/2012
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.92(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mark Samuel is the founder and CEO of IMPAQ, a California-based international consulting firm. An award-winning speaker, Samuel is a leader in the personal and organizational accountability movement and has championed sustainable improvement in companies, including Michelin, American Express and Hewlett-Packard.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Committing to Make Yourself Indispensable 9

Chapter 2 The Road Map 41

Chapter 3 The Victim Loop 50

Chapter 4 Intention: Take Charge of Your Life 69

Chapter 5 Recognize Your Current Reality 86

Chapter 6 The Power of Taking Ownership 99

Chapter 7 Gaining Strength Through Forgiveness 117

Chapter 8 Self-Examination to Foster Solutions 137

Chapter 9 Master Learner-Your Default Response 152

Chapter 10 Take Action to Be Successful 170

Chapter 11 The Missing Step-Celebrating Success 189

Chapter 12 Living an Indispensable Life 198

Acknowledgments 213

References 215

Index 217

Editorial Reviews

“The lessons learned in Making Yourself Indispensible take the mystery out of accountability by not only providing a foundational language for practicing accountability, but a complete road map as well. It has been my personal experience that by applying these principles across an organization, people do transform, ultimately leading to more accountable individuals, teams, and organizations with improved business results.”

ANN M. HACKETT

“Making Yourself Indispensable talks to you and encourages you. It is like having a professional career coach at your fingertips to help you improve and be more effective. It gives you principles and a new mind-set that you can put to use immediately to make a  difference. It makes you think differently. It builds your confidence that you can do better. This book is indispensable.”

DARWIN RICHARDSON

“I have known Mark and his accountability work for over twenty years now. He is an exceptionally wise, insightful, and effective consultant, and I have worked along aside him on numerous client engagements. As a pioneer myself in the field of personal responsibility, I applaud the work Mark has done to place the spotlight on the Power of Personal Accountability. This book is truly indispensable.

RUSSELL BISHOP

“I researched for years looking for a simple way of describing accountability without all of the negative stuff associated with it. The Personal Accountability Model is the answer. This method has assisted my staff and our employees in moving away from resistance, blame, or hiding and in learning how to take full accountability for the success of their actions. As a result, we are more successful than ever.”

PAUL TRINIDAD

“Supercuts is dedicated to customer service and providing high-quality services and products. Yet customer expectations are increasing each year. Making Yourself Indispensable and the Personal Accountability Model have provided our team with the inspiration and tools to make those improvements so we can continuously raise the bar on customer service.”

CHRISTINA R. CAMPBELL

“If only this was compulsory reading for all of us, with timely reminders to each other when we fall into the ‘victim part of the accountability loop’—I think the world would be a better place.”

HELEN GOLDSON

“An inspiring guide to being accountable in all aspects of your life—from work to home to relationships. . . . A road map to achievement and a source of practical wisdom.”  

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

“After more than twelve years of using Mark Samuel’s powerful tools and insights now taught in Making Yourself Indispensable, I have seen hundreds of people in my organization become more effective and satisfied at work. This book is a proven and inspiring path to greater levels of achievement and fulfillment in life.”

TODD PIERCE