Why Accountability? Everyone talks about it. Leaders want it. Employees are often afraid of it, shareholders demand it and stakeholders insist on it. But exactly what is accountability, and how do you get people to take it? How you demonstrate accountability in your daily work essentially defines the working relationships fundamental to every activity that occurs within your organization.
Accountability is the guiding principle that defines how we make commitments to one another; how we measure and report our progress; how we interact when things go wrong, and how much ownership we take to
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If accountability is not working in your organization, then every effort toward performance improvement will be inefficient and ineffective. The ability to execute and deliver results is directly tied to the accountability attitudes, practices and systems that are in place in an organization.
Accountability is often done the wrong way
In many organizations, accountability is often done in a way that can actually sabotage your ability to get results. When we start working with a client, we often hear people throughout the organization describe accountability as something that happens to them when things go wrong, when it should be something they do to themselves to ensure results and success. How you go about creating accountability matters. Often, when done the wrong way, it leads to what we call the Accountability Paradox: that is, the harder you try to create accountability, the less accountable people actual become. This happens because people are reacting to the manner in which accountability is implemented.
Accountability, done effectively, is a skill you can develop just like any other skill. While it is not a difficult skill to acquire and hone, it does require a high degree of conscious effort. When you do it right, you'll also find it the fastest way to improve morale. A Conference Board survey of American workers revealed that over half the American workforce does not feel engaged in their work. The results of this survey reported job satisfaction at 45 percent, its lowest level since 1987. In addition, 64 percent of employees under age twenty-five expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs. Another poll found that over half of those who left their employer, left because they felt their work environment was a dictatorship.
The Real Power of Accountability
The real power of accountability comes when the focus is on taking greater personal accountability for achieving results. That personal accountability manifests itself as greater personal ownership, buy-in, investment and engagement. From time to time, when working with a client, leaders tell us not to use the word "Empowerment" in their organization because they are frustrated in their unsuccessful efforts to create it. Failed attempts to better enable people to overcome obstacles to achieving results leaves them skeptical about organizational initiatives designed to better "Engage" people. Empowerment, in the corporate sense, has become something someone does to you. Accountability, on the other hand, is something you do to yourself.
When you take personal accountability you own it. You tell yourself, this is mine, I've got the ball. You ask yourself, "What else can I do to make progress, overcome obstacles and achieve the result?" You don't waste time blaming others or waiting for someone else to solve your problems, you actively engage and deeply pursue solutions.
Do you effectively clearly define the results you hold people accountable to deliver?
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Any training effort, improvement process or organizational intervention needs to begin with a clear focus on the business results you want to achieve. Ensuring that those efforts are imbued with accountability will accelerate your progress and help guarantee your success. When asked to evaluate their success in defining the expectations for results that they hold others accountable to deliver, recent surveys of business executives show that they feel largely inadequate when it comes to doing this effectively.
Today's challenging business environment calls for training that makes a difference on the bottom line. Implementing a positive approach to accountability helps ensure that employees at every level of the organization embrace accountable behavior and attitudes that can shape daily work and the achievement organizational results. Creating A Culture Of Accountability provides the key to the success of any organizational initiative.
Partners In Leadership has spent over twenty years helping organizations all over the world gain greater personal and organizational accountability because we believe that no other single attribute of individual or organizational life contributes more to the success of individuals, teams, and organizations.
