Accountability (actually, the lack thereof) is one of the more challenging issues the workplace. How do you get people to do what they commit to do – especially when often they don’t stand by their commitments?
Creating a culture of accountability takes work and dedication by the leaders of an organization. You can’t just post rules and guidelines and expect people to follow them. They won’t. And you can’t expect behavior to change overnight.
It’s incumbent on leaders to model the behavior that they want and expect from their employees. If you aren’t accountable, why would you expect your people to be?
People act in their own self-interest. You can help them become more accountable by defining accountability in the context of not just why it’s important to the organization, but what’s in it for them. Illustrate the benefits of what happens when you’re accountable as opposed to the downfall when you fall short.
For example, let’s say a company’s reputation is based on consistent, high quality client service, where a thousand little details go into creating that status. You want your employees to fully understand how one little seemingly innocuous screw up can derail the desired outcome.
It takes time to do this well, but it’s worth the investment if you achieve accountability by more of your employees.
Organizational accountability doesn’t happen overnight, but if you start from the top, model the outcome, and help your staff understand the context of their positions, you’ll be on your way to reframe your culture.
Have a great day!
