Clearview® Performance Systems brings you ... ® ... a Culture of Results & Engagement®
Here's the next in our series of weekly managerial TIPS (Techniques, Insights, and Practical Solutions)
to help you better engage your team in the activities that lead to higher performance.
CORE Bites Issue #57
What do 'accountable' people do differently? They quickly acknowledge their mistakes and failures and learn from these experiences. They also seem to operate with a personal pledge or promise to a higher standard, whether that standard is about values or customers or the team/organization where they work. Accountable people put that higher standard first—way ahead of what might be easier or more convenient for them personally. Steven R. Covey said it best ...
"Accountability breeds response-ability."
The challenge for anyone managing people is that accountability is intrinsic; people have to choose—on their own—to take ownership and to be accountable. So, will everyone in your employ choose the path of accountability on their own? For myriad reasons, the obvious answer is no. But a lack of accountability within your team sends a message to the rest of your employees that lower standards are okay—and that's NOT okay!
In anticipation of this topic for this issue of CORE Bites, I reached out to a client who is a senior leader and who is also demonstrably good at instilling accountability into her team(s). I asked Cheryl to comment on the best way to make this important value pervasive—a part of the culture. Her sage response ...
"To create an open environment, it's important to create a level of accountability to each other. Creating an environment where everyone is comfortable to have open discussions fosters that accountability. It's not something that everyone is comfortable doing, but with encouragement and practice, it bonds a team. That way, when faced with challenges and adversity, you have strong team support."
Accountability is one of the most important values ... perhaps better positioned as an "asset" ... for achieving personal and professional success and living a meaningful life. The HVAs listed below will help you instill the accountability "asset" into your team.
This week (starting today), look for opportunities to insert these HVAs. Making these HVAs a part of your daily praxis takes time, but it's worth it when it comes to building a culture of accountability:
I'd love to hear how these HVAs work for you!
Neil Dempster, PhD, MBA
RESULTant™ and Behavioral Engineer
"If we want unity, we must all be unifiers. If we want accountability, each of us must be accountable for all we do."
— Christine Gregoire —