Exercise · Leadership and Accountability
Excuse → Step
Master the formula of the language of accountability: fact — my part — what I will do — by when.
Time25 minutes
ParticipantsPairs
MaterialsCards with excuses and situations, workbooks
From the trainingLeadership and Accountability
Why this exercise
An excuse is not always a lie: "nobody told me" may well be true. The problem is that an excuse ends the conversation — nothing happens after it. The four-step formula turns it into action: "The report wasn't ready by Friday. I didn't check the deadline when I got the task. Today I'll collect the data and send the report by 12:00 on Monday."
How to run it
- Show the formula and an example: the fact without judgment → my part (what depended on me) → what I will do → by when.
- A pair draws a card with an excuse and a short situation and rewrites it together using the formula.
- In 15 minutes — 4–5 cards.
- Each pair reads out its best version. The group checks: are all four steps there, is there a hidden excuse?
- At the end everyone rewrites one real excuse of their own.
Debrief questions
- Which step was the hardest? Usually "my part".
- How would you react if one of your employees said this?
- Where in your team do you hear excuses most often?
Tips for the facilitator
- "My part" does not mean "it's all my fault". Sometimes it is simply "I didn't ask again". Blame looks to the past; accountability looks to the future.
- Self-flagellation ("it's my fault, I'll do better") is the same excuse. Ask for specifics: what exactly will you do differently?
- Replace the situations on the cards with examples from the client's company.
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