The Accountability Guy®
Uncertain about how to improve accountability at work? Managers may avoid the subject if they find it upsetting. Teams occasionally go through so much change that meeting productivity goals becomes secondary to helping everyone get through their difficulties.
However, it is detrimental overall to not be intentional about workplace accountability. It’s harmful to workers who might question whether or not they’re giving enough effort. Consider a salesperson who, while not discussing it with a boss, rarely achieves a monitored sales objective.
Additionally, a lack of accountability at work conveys to your workers the idea that standards aren’t really that important.
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Many people define accountability in terms of what it isn’t: attempting to “catch” employees in the act of breaking the law, reporting coworkers, or establishing stringent regulations that are applied in a punishing manner.
This negative strategy promotes a reactive cultur of “management by rules” rather than cultivating a proactive environment of responsibility. Yet there is a better approach.
Establishing and upholding a single expectation among employees at work requires a clear understanding of the mission, values, and objectives of the organization. Employee responsibility refers to making all levels of employees—from hourly part-timers to C-suite executives—responsible for achieving organizational objectives.
Almost every facet of work can be impacted by how your team handles accountability.
Accountability helps teams collaborate more efficiently and develops stronger working relationships. It also increases job satisfaction. It gives ICs greater control over their work and encourages better teamwork because everyone knows they can rely on one another to get things done. Teams who have mastered team accountability have stronger performance talks and hold one another more supportively accountable. It motivates people to do more and perform better, and it is inextricably related to outcomes (and revenue). Companies that engage their employees perform better than their rivals, which can lead to a 21% increase in profitability.
Despite these facts, many teams continue to have trouble strengthening their employee responsibility muscles.
Managers frequently link control with accountability. As a result, managers may use techniques like the following to guide their staff members toward goals:
However, that is not how real workplace accountability should operate. An individual must first be responsible for themselves before they can be held accountable to a group. Accountability is an internal task that needs to come from a personal place. Additionally, a manager cannot create intrinsic motivation in a worker.
But as a manager, you can make sure you’re holding yourself accountable to your staff, running smooth operations, and setting a good example. By concentrating on these elements, you may guide your team members and inspire a greater responsibility in them.
Reward systems and sanctions must be discussed while discussing accountability in the workplace. Improvement is the only goal of accountability, and you cannot achieve improvement without rewards and penalties.
Employees won’t alter their behaviour unless they are motivated by rewards or intimidated by consequences. Your employees will view accountability as a fraud and their performance won’t improve if you don’t take appropriate measures.
An incentive, a pat on the back, or some words of support are all acceptable forms of reward. Contrarily, you can discipline staff members by removing incentives from them or reprimanding them verbally, but please be careful to avoid showing them any disrespect and limit your criticism of their work.
Although it might seem simple, understanding what your teammates expect from you in the first place is necessary before you can fulfil those expectations.
Say you ask a team member to “finish the project as fast as feasible and to the best standards.” This has a number of drawbacks. To start, you’ll probably get five different replies if you ask five people what “to the highest standards” implies. For some, it might include giving attention to accuracy and fine detail. For others, it entails doing the task quickly and nimbly rather than perfectly. When used with “as soon as possible,” the same issues arise: when does it mean immediately, tomorrow, next week, or perhaps this quarter?
It is your responsibility as a leader to promote learning so that workers are aware of their responsibilities. Even though creating an accountability culture is not simple, it is not difficult either.
Just determination and a good attitude are needed to make the change acceptable to the workforce. Accountability must be portrayed in a way that permeates your organization’s culture. In the long term, it will help you develop your staff members into leaders, producers, and workers who are more dedicated to their jobs.
Learn more about Accountability in the workplace.
Darren Finkelstein is The Accountability Guy®. This involves being an International Accountability Coach, Business Advisor, Mentor, Author, and Speaker.
Darren works with high-performing teams and individuals across Australia/NZ, UK, USA, Latin America, Europe and Asia to help get results, achieve their wildest dreams, and smash goals. He does this by leveraging over 30 years of experience working in the corporate world and small businesses.
A successful business owner himself, Darren won the Australian Entrepreneur of the Year award for Dent Global after building a wonderful lifestyle business, successfully sold and exited after 15 years.
Before this, Darren worked for over 10 years at Apple Inc. as ‘Manager of Commercial Markets’ during the inspirational Steve Jobs era. While there, he was awarded the prestigious Golden Apple Award.
Darren’s lessons in accountability can help individuals and teams at all levels of a business or organisation across the globe, and are based on actions and results:
Know what to do first
know what to do next
know what to do more of
1. Take the Accountability Scorecard
How accountable are you? Discover your accountability score and increase the probability of smashing your goals and Getting Sh!t Done. Take the quiz
2. Read my book "The Accountability Advantage - Play Your Best Game"
Eliminate procrastination and overwhelm and start playing your best game.
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3. Book a complimentary Accountability Assessment
Invest 15 minutes now and avoid months or years of struggle. If you genuinely need help becoming more accountable, it can’t hurt to find out. Book here.
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