There is likely be little disagreement that accountability is critically important in the workplace. It's a key characteristic that separates thriving organizations that learn and grow from those that stagnate and potentially fail. Sadly, most employees don't fully understand what their organization is trying to accomplish, making it hard for them to align their individual work toward those larger goals. In her work on the "Crisis of Accountability", Anne Loehr found that 93% of employees don't understand the goals of their organizations.
The importance of being accountable has only become more pronounced with the new normal of a more fragmented and dispersed workforce. How has your organization shifted your efforts to instill and require a culture of accountability within these new realities? How good are you at defining what accountability means, to a granular level, for your employees? How much are you encouraging and giving permission to all employees to hold themselves, their colleagues, their teams and their leaders to the same standards of accountability? How good are you at rewarding those that are accountable and using accountability measures as teaching and learning instruments? And as leaders, how much are you inspiring the culture of accountability that you wish to create?
It's really easy to state to someone that "your role requires you to be perform x, y, z tasks". It's somewhat more challenging to articulate non-task specific accountabilities like the types of behaviors each person is accountable to bring into the workplace and how they are also accountable for the decisions they make. Helping each individual fully understand how delivering on their accountabilities impacts the ability of their colleagues to also deliver on their own accountabilities.
When we think about accountability, keep in mind the key steps in the ladder toward building resilience & adaptability - the ultimate win that comes with focusing on accountability, whether with a fully in-person team, a hybrid team or a fully remote team.
Once the baseline of Role & Goal Clarity is achieved, you and your organization can embark on the journey through the steps in the ladder of accountability, ultimate becoming more resilient and adaptable.
Enhanced Trust and Collaboration: When team members are accountable, they build trust with their colleagues, leading to better collaboration and a more cohesive team.
Increased Autonomy and Empowerment: Accountability empowers individuals to take ownership of their work, leading to greater autonomy and job satisfaction.
Improved Performance and Productivity: Clear accountability structures ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and effectively, leading to higher overall performance.
Career Growth and Development: Being accountable allows team members to demonstrate their skills and reliability, which can lead to career advancement opportunities and help them establish the critical growth mindset.
Resilience and Adaptability: In a remote work setting, accountability helps teams stay resilient and adaptable, enabling them to navigate challenges and changes more effectively.
I help individuals, teams, and organizations engage in a more focused approached to building accountability. This isn't easy, once-and-done work. It takes time, commitment and persistence. If this is something you see useful for yourself or your team, let's talk!
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