Excuses, Accountability, Effort, & Priorities (Million Dollar Suitcase Test)
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The Million Dollar Suitcase Test
A useful test when it comes to excuses, accountability, effort, and priorities.
I have this conversation and use this tool sometimes when talking with leaders or teams, and I also use it with myself to call myself out when I think that I’m full of it. I find it useful to reframe and add some perspective to situations when it comes to accountability, excuses, or getting things done.
A very simple question.
This comes up when dealing with a situation where there are excuses, or low accountability or effort, and all the reasons on the world why something isn’t getting done or for some reason can’t get completed, addressed, etc.
That might be showing up on time, or turning in a report, a pattern of behavior that continues to be repeated, or literally just about anything you can think of. The question is this:
“If there were a suitcase with a million dollars cash in it waiting for you, and all you had to do is complete this one thing and you'd get that million bucks, would you get it done?”
The answer is immediately self-evident. Yes of course
It’s only ever a matter of priorities.
The heart of this conversation, whether it's at work or in personal relationships and situations, when it comes to effort and accountability, if something is a high enough priority to somebody (or to a team) they will find a way to get it done.
This applies to so many contexts and circumstances. It’s hard to think of any example in life where the answer to this question is not an obvious yes. This question makes it apparent and real very quickly that the root of whatever issue is at hand comes down to just “Is it important enough?”
It’s pretty much as simple as that.
Use this productively, not as a weapon.
I wholeheartedly believe this question is extremely useful to make things real and get to the heart of a situation. And importantly, I also think that it’s useful to be a conversation starter in order to find solutions and work through challenges.
Do not use this question or conversation as a weapon. The purpose is not to “get somebody” or call them out, or make them look and feel bad. Especially as a leader, use it as a way to engage in a meaningful, collaborative conversation about priorities and creating better situations and outcomes.
Most of the time, I have found that being more aligned about what’s important and some better organization or time management is the cure for whatever is not getting done.
It can be a powerful tool, use it for good.
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