Productivity – Accountability

[Anonymous]

There is clarity of roles and responsibilities with high follow through. When problems arise the team responds. Team members actively hold each other accountable for team results and team agreements.

[Alexis Phillips]

Tips and questions about Accountability on teams:
– What does Accountability mean on this team? What are some examples of where it happens or doesn’t happen?

– How are you doing with implementing team agreements? What are examples of team agreements being honored?

– What happens when team agreements are stepped on? What is team agreement is needed for this scenario?

– Have team members take turns monitoring team agreements. Name a playful role title e.g, Team Agreement Champion (TAC).

– What is the team accountable for? (Separate from what individual team members are accountable for).

– What is the benefit of team accountability? How do you want to do this?

– What is one Key Performance Indicator for the team? What is the process to achieve it and who’s responsible for each step? (document a process map or swim lanes)

[Alexis Phillips]

One exercise to improve Accountability is the Web of Connection. In this exercise the team discusses a process from start to finish, naming each step and the person responsible. As the conversation unfolds the team tosses a ball of yarn to one another for each step, creating a web. The visual impact of seeing inter-dependencies is powerful, it’s a new way to get clear about accountability, and the de-brief generates ideas about how to improve clarity of roles and responsibilities, hand-offs and follow-through.

Click here to download the exercise.

[Anonymous]

How to Inspire Accountability in Future Leaders
by BETH MILLER

One of the most powerful ways an organization can create effective leaders is through a system of accountability that measures performance and takes appropriate action based on that performance.

Accountability can be a driving force for success – and lack of accountability can be a driving force for failure in leaders and for a business. It is often not managed consistently because “accountability” usually carries a negative connotation; but true accountability involves taking ownership based on successes and failures. A proactive, holistic approach to accountability can be far more effective when building a strong leadership team.

The Importance of Meetings For Long-Term Accountability
In order to create a productive environment, senior managers must hold regular meetings. Not meetings for meetings’ sake, but meetings with a purpose, and meetings that occur on a regular basis. In some cases, this might mean weekly meetings. In other cases, daily 15-minute huddles are the norm.

No matter how often they are held, meetings must be consistent. Set a regular day of the week and time for the meeting, and have a proper agenda planned each time. Concentrate on the things that everyone in the room needs to hear. Don’t waste time on topics that will not benefit the group as a whole.

Always set aside time for individuals to discuss their current projects, what they need from others in the group, and what potential roadblocks may be standing in the way. Clear and open communication can help create a sense of ownership and accountability among leadership teams.

What Does Accountability Look Like?
Senior leaders can identify accountable people by the questions that they ask. When approached with a task or project, accountable people don’t ask “Why?” Accountable people ask, “How can I help?” and, “What needs to be done?” These types of questions indicate that the person is taking ownership of the project, rather than pushing ownership back on someone else.

On its face, delegation does not create a sense of accountability. If an individual manager was not involved in the process of defining the project or the task, she will not be fully engaged in its success. Include the appropriate people in all stages of planning in order to create a feeling of ownership among those doing the work.

Clear, defined deliverables are also important when creating a sense of accountability. The owner of the task must know precisely what is expected of him, the exact date and time by which it should be delivered, and the criteria for success. Poorly defined deadlines and deliverables do not support accountability.

Establishing Consequences
Accountability is about making a commitment. It is a promise to senior leadership, peers, or employees that a job will be completed. When that doesn’t happen, there must be consequences.

Consequences will depend upon the organization, its culture, and the individual circumstances of each situation. Often times, when it comes to leadership accountability, a peer-monitoring method can be highly effective. For example, leadership teams may choose to adopt a “Three Strikes, You’re Out” policy.

What are strikes? The group should decide together. If they will be the ones to enforce the policy, they should be the ones to create the criteria. When a member of the team fails to deliver, the group will decide as a unit whether or not it constitutes a strike.

What does “you’re out” mean? Again, this type of policy would depend upon the organization. It might mean that the leader is no longer invited to planning and decision meetings, and he must instead live with the decisions made without him.

In some cases, “you’re out” could mean, “you’re fired.” The culture of the organization will determine the structure and consequences for these types of accountability programs.

Peer monitoring groups like this take the pressure off of the CEO and push responsibility onto the team. Leadership teams set their own criteria and they manage and police themselves. Decisions are made by the group, rather than a single individual. In these situations it will be up to the CEO to closely monitor the team, to ensure that bullying and cliques do not factor into group dynamics.

Creating a Team
Organizations that can create a feeling of teamwork can promote accountability. Members of the leadership team who lean on one another for success will feel more compelled to take ownership of projects and see them through to completion. By creating an environment where managers feel empowered and responsible for one another, organizations can nurture the growth of effective leaders.

[Anonymous]

I’ve used the following practice to get team members to “lighten up” about giving each other feedback and holding each other accountable. The team keeps the following items in the center of their meeting area and can toss an item to another team member when the occasion arises:

Rubber chicken: awarded when another team member believes that the team member speaking has more to say but is holding back

Stuffed lion: awarded when a team member demonstrates courage in “speaking the unspoken”

Ball cap: labeled with “team mindset”, “connector”, or “enterprise-wide mindset” to acknowledge a team member who acts in a way to look for the good of the larger group rather than just representing their function or department

Red devil: given to a team member to encourage them to serve as designated “devil’s advocate” during a discussion. Intended to help avoid “group think” and to generate ideas in conversation.

[Author]

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