Increasing Personal Accountability

My 12 year old son returned home from summer scout camp last week — injury free. I told him howWorkMatters Tips by Gayle Lantz pleased I was that he had managed to get through the week without major cuts, scrapes, bruises or broken bones.
 
Within an hour after his return, he was eagerly whittling a piece of wood with his pocketknife. When I cautioned him about using the knife, he said, "Mom! I've been doing this all week — I know what I'm doing!"
 
Minutes later, I was rushing him to the doctor's office to get stitches in his index finger. He said the pocketknife closed unexpectedly on his finger. (It was the pocketknife's fault.)
 
The Blame Game at Work
 
We experience similar situations at work. People feel confident about their ability. They've been trained, educated, certified. They especially don't like other people messing with their work or telling them what to do.
 
Yet something goes wrong. An error occurs. A project is jeopardized. A patient is misdiagnosed. A customer leaves. When this happens, it's easy to point a finger (especially one without stitches) at someone or something else.
 
Ironically "personal accountability" is cited as one of the most desirable attributes for employees. Employers want people who will assume responsibility for actions and consequences. But why are they so hard to find? There are a number of possible reasons:
 
  • The person. Sometimes people are conditioned to protect themselves by deflecting blame. They just don't feel secure enough about themselves to admit error.
  • The culture. The work environment is such that people don't feel comfortable admitting mistakes. As one client put it, "We're all running scared."
  • The team. The "team" may actually be a group of individuals competing against each other.  In some cases, people are working harder at trying to sabotage each other's success as opposed to achieving what's most important to the business or practice.
  • The boss. Maybe the manager or supervisor is too threatening. The employee has been burned before by speaking the truth.
 
 
Build Personal Accountability
 
 
Build personal accountability in your business, practice or organization by doing the following:
 
 
  • Set clear expectations for employees — from the start. (This is a fundamental practice some managers skip.) That way you avoid hearing, "I didn't know he wanted me to do that."
  • Clarify or redefine roles and responsibilities. These can and should change as an employee grows in their position — and as the business changes. Reject "that's not my job" attitudes.
  • Show interest in those you manage. No need to pry into personal issues. Just ask how work is going. Ask for their ideas and solutions to problems. Employees will develop more trust over time if you show interest in them and what they care about. They'll want to step up.
  • Resist interfering. Employees will never develop accountability if they sense someone else is micromanaging. Allow them to approach a problem differently from you. They may achieve the same, or even better, results.
  • Encourage curiosity. Those people who ask questions or challenge assumptions care about results. Yes, sometimes there are employees who just try to prove themselves. But often people who are curious show they care about the quality of their work. They want to do the job right.
  • Request accountability. Discuss what accountability looks like in a given situation. What needs to be done by when? Who is ultimately accountable? Ask, "Can I count on you?"
 
Remind employees they can't operate on autopilot. They need to take ownership of results. Help them understand why they should care – why their work matters.
 
Accountability isn't a matter of simply owning mistakes — it's about knowing you had a part in creating success.
 
Show employees that you have trust in their capability, commitment to their development and expectation for their success. 
 

 
PS:  I recently posted a midyear GOALS ASSESSMENT on my blog to help you clarify your focus for the balance of the year.

 

In case you missed it, you can find it HERE.
On the Lighter Side

 

 When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.  ~Louis Nizer

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