Take No Prisoners is a free weekly memo from Scott Wintrip that explores how Radical Accountability prospers companies and changes lives. Instead of taking people hostage with outdated, heavy-handed, and ineffective methods of management, measurement, and motivation, Radical Accountability focuses on creating an unwavering responsibility for getting what matters most done.

Why is it that some companies consistently perform well, regardless of what’s happening in the world, while others do not? This can almost always be traced back to the excuses made by leadership.

Some leaders are great at spin, performing well as mouthpieces for their organizations. They have an answer for anything, a reason for everything that goes wrong, and use their gift for gab to attempt to inspire people to action, even though they often aren’t walking the talk.

Then there are the real heroes of the leadership ranks. They calmly respond to issues, focusing on execution instead of excuses. Problems are seen as opportunities, challenges as a chance to improve, and mistakes as a catalyst for deepening relationships.

In the Atlanta market are two perfect examples of these two types of leaders. CEO number one is busy explaining why his prominent staffing firm is experiencing slower than forecasted growth while CEO number two used the slow growth in Q1 as a learning platform for the best Q2 her company has ever had in its history.

Choosing between executing a plan or making excuses as to why things aren’t happening is a choice every leader gets to make each day. What’s yours?

This Week’s Radical Accountability Activating Action: Be an excuse-free leader. If you find yourself making excuses, ask yourself, “What’s the next right action I can take?” Then, immediately take that action.