Managers often ask how to hold their employees accountable. There isn’t one answer to this question, because one of the biggest variables is your organizational culture. Some cultures support their people when it comes to accountability issues, while others cast blame.
For example, in a blame-oriented culture, if Juan misses an important deadline – even if he had a good reason – his manager will likely fault him for the outcome with no discussion.
One of my clients has a very simple rule, which is to include the senior account executive on any communication relating to his or her accounts. Team members know that this means to copy them on emails and update them on any text or verbal discussions.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Tomorrow is THE day of the year to declare personal expressions of affection, but it’s also a great occasion to convey appreciation for our employees, clients, vendors and other service providers – in other words, the people who help us do our best in an increasingly complex business environment.
This doesn’t need to be fancy; a sincere expression of gratitude goes a long way to make others feel good. You can really stand out from the crowd because regrettably, too few people take the time to show their appreciation.
Do you ever think that managing people is a side job that interferes with your “real work”? Or do you become impatient because a team member needs help at “inconvenient” times? Or have you ever become irritated because your employees didn’t telepathically understand what you really wanted?
When you answer “yes” to these kinds of questions, you’re probably (a) suffering from too much work, (b) feeling stressed about not fulfilling your goals, or (c) frustrated with the entire idea of managing.