12 | august 2018
theVoice • rockfordchamber.com
Accountability, the glue that binds an organization Jennifer was staring across the desk, arms crossed, trying to keep a neutral expression on her face. Inside she was seething. Her direct report Roger, once again, had missed a major deadline delaying shipment of the customer’s product by 3 weeks. Jennifer listened as Roger justified the missed deadline, reminding her of how much he had on his plate. As she slowly boiled over inside, Roger said, “Seriously Jennifer, it’s not like I’m the only one that misses deadlines.” That was it, she’d had enough. “Roger are you kidding me?!” She then spent the next 30 minutes recalling the past years’ worth of unmet expectations, Roger’s mouth wide open caught in the vortex of accountability. You have probably seen or experienced a scenario very similar to this one. Direct report walks into their boss’s office for a yearly review and they are held “accountable”. It is a word steeped in meaning, yet devoid of understanding. Webster defines accountability as, “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s
actions.” It is the word at the forefront of the question every leader is asking. “How do I hold my people accountable for outcomes?” First, let’s talk about what accountability is not. Accountability is not using a position of authority to “catch” people making mistakes. It is not berating an employee for missing a deadline or obligation. Accountability is giving those under authority the opportunity to “give account” (tell their story) for meeting expectations on a regular basis to their teammates and their leader(s). It is the glue that binds an organization’s strategy, mission, processes and direction. When an organization is doing it well, meetings are better, morale improves, turnover decreases and profits go up. It allows employees to answer the fundamental question, “How am I doing?” So, what does a great accountability structure look like? It’s important to note that accountability is dependent upon one
critical function that most companies do — usually not well — , and that’s setting expectations (measures). Clear expectations are the driver for accountability. Without expectations or metrics that are predictive (ones that impact the result directly) and influenceable (the team has control over results), accountability cannot take place. Once we’ve set clear expectations, there are key components to a culture of accountability. First, a leader must set up Accountability Structures (One to One and Team meetings) on a regular (i.e. monthly) basis. The remaining three components happen in the meeting. The leaders gives their direct reports the opportunity to “give account” by: ■ Reporting on last period’s commitments (action plans)
accountability is what we like to call “Just In Time” feedback. Leaders should regularly seek Kevin Williams to understand The Anser Group what is working and not working around accountability. By simply creating a structure and a space for employees to “give account”, not only will you erase the negative stigma associated with the word ‘accountability’, but you will reap the benefits of a more engaged and productive workforce…and ultimately a heathier and more successful organization.
■ Reviewing and updating the dashboard (metrics)
Kevin Williams is managing partner at The Anser Group.
■ Setting new commitments (action plan) Finally, the last part of great
The views expressed are those of Williams’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.
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