ACCOUNTABILITY

Genesis chapter 1






Today we are walking in: Accountability








Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.



The Torah Testifies.............................

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The prophets proclaim...............



Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.








The writings bear witness.............



2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword







CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Attitude #7 Accountability


Authority is 20 percent given and 80 percent taken. —Peter Ueberroth38


The spirit of true leadership always possesses a sense of accountability and responsibility. True leaders readily embrace submission to authority and are conscious of their stewardship of the trust given to them by those whom they serve. The spirit of leadership seeks to be faithful to the sacred trust of the followers rather than doing what will please the leader.


In this teaching, I want to address a potential danger that leaders fall into and what we can do to prevent it. As I said earlier, the key to good leadership is the power to influence through inspiration, not manipulation. The danger of leadership is its potential for wielding power without answering to anyone else. Dictatorship and tyranny occur in the absence of a leader’s submission to authority.


The protection of leadership, therefore, is in a voluntary submission to a trusted authority. The spirit of accountability is the active manifestation of submission to authority.


ACCOUNTABLE TO WHOM?


Let’s begin by clarifying to whom the leader must be accountable:


1. Himself (his conscience)


2. The primary stakeholders


3. The general family of humanity


4. The Creator, as the ultimate authority


All true leaders are aware of their responsibility to higher authority. Particularly in relation to the Creator, they are aware that they are accountable before Yah for their words and actions.


LEADERS AND ACCOUNTABILITY


A true leader is always conscious that he is not a law unto himself but should uphold established laws and treat others with respect as people made in the image and likeness of the Creator. He also listens to the advice and input of credible authority.


WHAT IS ACCOUNTABILITY?


In a nutshell, accountability is giving a reckoning for one’s conduct and reporting on one’s progress. It is also an admission of motives and reasons for taking certain actions.


THE ACCOUNTABLE LEADER


In Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi, he explained that Yahusha was willingly accountable to the Father when he was on earth.


Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Hamachiach Yahusha: who, being in very nature Yah, did not consider equality with Yah something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.


A TRUE LEADER IS ALWAYS CONSCIOUS THAT HE IS NOT A LAW UNTO HIMSELF.


Yahusha continually referred to his accountability to the Father, making statements such as “My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” and acknowledging the Father’s affirmation of his leadership: “The very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” “On [the Son of Man] Yah the Father has placed his seal of approval.” In developing the spirit of accountability, we can have no better example than his.


HOW TO BE ACCOUNTABLE


The following are some guidelines for incorporating accountability into your life:


• Commit yourself to be accountable to your personal convictions.


• Establish the Word of Yah as your final judge and authority.


• Appoint and submit to a group of tested, respected, credible, and mature people for advice, correction, rebuke, and instruction.


• Choose friends who are committed to the high standards of the Word of Yah and give them the right to judge you by it.


Perhaps the best advice for being accountable is the following, which Paul wrote to the first-century church at Colossae:


Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Most High, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Most High as a reward. It is the Most High Hamachiach you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.


To manifest the leadership spirit hidden within you, you must embrace the attitude of accountability. Always be conscious that you are responsible to those below and above you for everything you say and do. Be cognizant that whatever you do as a leader may be personal, but it is never totally private. Your ultimate accountability is to the Creator of all leaders, who knows the thoughts and attitudes of your heart.