The most accountable person in the world

As the end of the year approaches, I have been taking time to reflect on these past 12 months. My year has been filled with excitement, with disappointments and with some great victories. As I look back on all the promises that were made in my life, I'm redminded of the one person who never lies, who always fulfills his responsibilities, who is committed to doing what he says he will do. The most accountable person in the world.

Santa Claus

My daughter no longer believes in Santa, she's in high school now. My two young boys are big believers. They are counting the days until December 25th. Even my 3 year old knows the deal and what to expect. Santa is THAT accountable. There's no question as to whether or not he will be coming, there's no doubt that he will stop by when he says he will (sometime between bedtime and Christmas morning). Santa Claus knows what he has to do and we're planning most of our morning around him fulfilling his job. I can't help but wonder; how much different would our world be if people could be held to that same level of accountability? Both in business and in our personal lives. Its phenomenal.

Owning a company is a big responsibility. You can reap great rewards, but at big risks. I rely on a lot of people. How long do you think I could rely on them if I didn't make payroll every 2 weeks? Don't get me wrong, I have some great employees that have been with me for a long time, some over 10 years now. But how would our relationship change if I wasn't held to a high level of accountability? How many days after Friday would they work if their paycheck bounced? So shouldn't I be able to hold them to the job they said they would do? Not everyone I hired in the last 12 years still works for me today. Why? Accountability is the number one factor. They simply did not do the job they agreed to do. It's not only a waste of my time but theirs as well.

I'm thankful for the people in my life who I can hold accountable. These individuals make my company the great organization that we are today. I appreciate their hard work, their sacrifices, I appreciate their talent and their creativity - but most of all I am thankful for them coming in every day and doing what they said they would do. It's that simple. Santa Claus put presents under our tree. He does it on time every year. Santa eats a few cookies. And we all do the jobs that we agreed to do, through thick and thin. Just without the red coat and sleighbells.