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Leadership and Accountability

By Darren Finkelstein
By Darren Finkelstein

The Accountability Guy®

team leader

Fact: 71% of employees say senior managers provide a clear strategy and direction. – People Matter Survey 2010

Understanding Leadership and Accountability

The organisation’s role in leadership and accountability

In the ideal situation:

  • The organisation gives priority to developing a positive work environment. The organisation focuses on leadership development for all staff.
  • The organisation involves staff in developing strategies for achieving the vision.
  • The organisation promotes a shared understanding and commitment to the vision and values.
  • The organisation encourages accountability at all levels of the organisation.

The manager’s role in leadership and accountability

In the ideal situation:

Managers share their understanding of the organisation’s vision with staff. They develop leadership strategies that they and their staff implement.

  • Managers develop their leadership skills to keep up with changing employment trends. They show leadership and lead by example. They adapt their leadership style to suit the needs of their staff.
  • Managers are clear about levels of accountability within the organisation. They trust their staff and encourage them to be involved in decisions that affect their roles and responsibilities.
  • Managers are aware of the impact of their decisions and actions on staff. They accept responsibility for both the positive and negative results of their decisions and actions.

The individual’s role in leadership and accountability

In the ideal situation:

  • Individuals understand and work towards achieving the organisation’s vision.
    Individuals accept their level of responsibility and have the authority to decide and act.
  • Individuals provide their manager with regular feedback on performance.
  • Individuals’ length of time in the organisation, understanding of their tasks and career objectives determine how they will be managed.

The litmus test for leadership and accountability

Some important questions to ask about your organisation:

  • Does the organisation promote leadership by example?
  • Is a system of accountability in place and communicated to all levels of the organisation?
  • Are managers and staff clear about their own level of accountability?
  • Is everyone in the organisation held accountable for the impact (both positive and negative) of their decisions and actions?
  • Do managers have confidence in their staff to delegate decision-making responsibility?
  • Do managers trust staff to make decisions on issues about their roles and responsibilities?
  • Does the organisation encourage everyone to develop leadership?

Measures

Measures that may be useful for confirming the quick check tool results or monitoring cultural change could include:

  • Employee satisfaction with leadership
  • Manager quality index

This document is part of the How Positive is Your Work Environment? A resource was written by the Victorian Public Service Commission: https://vpsc.vic.gov.au/

If you like what your reading and this resonates with you, as your ‘Accountability Coach’ I’ll keep you on track, so you keep those promises and commitments made to others and yourself.

If we do this right, you’ll increase your sales, service your clients better, make more money and work fewer hours. Now you can spend it with those that are most important and not doing work.

We can work together click here, if you need help with your business, I work with entrepreneurial business owners, executives and their teams to ensure full accountability so they can meet obligations, promises and commitments made to others and themselves.

For more information reach out to us at questions@tickthoseboxes.com.au