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Letter from the President
Accountability
I always thought accountability was about doing what you said you would and doing it as good or better than expected. In running my own business for close to 12 years, I have had to learn the hard way, not everyone shares my view of accountability.
Some people think they are being accountable by showing up for work everyday. Other people think they are being accountable by trying hard or meaning well, even if they do not do what is expected or needed. Even others think and behave in a way that puts the ownership of accountability on the manager. “It is their job, they didn’t follow up with me, and it is their fault I did not get my work done.”
Statistics indicate that 30% of all business failures are due to employees not doing what they said they would do and therefore resulting in loss of business, clients, reputation, etc. Additionally frightening statistics are that 40% of all retail shrinkage is due to employee theft. With those types of statistics hanging over the heads of business leaders, as well as having to face the highly competitive marketplace day in and day out - it is the job of business leaders to cause breakthroughs in accountability amongst teams.
I have been taught that there are two ways to view accountability - The old paradigm: Accountability – is doing what you are told. As an employee you might think, “I’ll do what I’m told so I don’t get in trouble; or I’ll do just enough to keep from being called out.”
Or a more empowering new paradigm – ‘Count-on-able’ is a way of being. It is who a person chooses to be. You can have a dominant, influencer, conscientious or steady personality type and communication style, you can be low or high on mental acuity, you can be creative or rigid, you can be slightly disorganized or a real power planner…and what really matters…above all is that YOU possess a powerful relationship with who you are in the workplace. People know they can count on you. Consistently. Reliably. When there is work to be done, that count on able person is the one who does it.
The question is – how do business owners reverse the 80/20 rule? How do they cause 80% or more of the employees to practice being count on able; and cause the other 20% to get better or get out? The truth is changing a culture doesn’t happen overnight, and having employees see the difference between being ‘accountable’ and being ‘count-on-able’ takes time.
Here are some helpful hints to be proactive in changing the culture of your workplace. They are in place in my company, and have made a difference. One is having action items at the end of each meeting. Verify what you are taking on and ask for clarification up front; it is your responsibility to take astute notes, to follow up, to ask questions; and to be count on able; to complete the assignment that you have taken on by when you have said you would. Will people sometimes fall in the hole? Yes, however, if the same person continually falls in the hole then it is time to take action and have that employee choose to get better or choose to exit.
An additional tip from my executive coach that can help you take on being ‘count on able’ is for you to say:
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“You can count on me to manage the project, and each detail in it, so there are no holes left open.”
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“You can count on me to proof and edit my work and deliver it to you as if you are the “client”, not the editor.”
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“You can count on me to look ahead and anticipate problems or issues, and head those concerns off at the pass, so you don’t have to.”
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“You can count on me to take the responsibility or project and own it, be proud of the outcome, and be fully responsible for the outcome. So you can focus on higher-level strategic issues.”
It is definitely a paradigm shift. What I can share with you is that this paradigm shift also results in a culture shift. For me to become fully engaged in leading my talent acquisition, assessment consulting and recruiting company, thereby taking it to the next level, my employees will have to develop themselves in the realm of being count on able. I know some will and some won’t. In conclusion, to create a culture of count on able is a leader’s job. Business owners have to lead a no excuse culture, to hire right, to reward positive behavior and not tolerate disempowering or irresponsible behavior – like it or not, for better or worse, that is the leader’s job.
Now, it is your job to show the leader that they hired the right person in hiring you, that you are responsible and that they can trust you.
And…that ain’t easy.
Best of success in being part of and starting a “count on able” culture.
Margaret Graziano
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Accountability
– A different perspective
I welcomed the chance to make my debut in writing this article and in terms of accountability – I have a little different perspective than most. In order for you to understand my thoughts and ideas I think it is first important to understand my career up to this point. Before joining the team at Alliance HR Network, I had served over eleven years with the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserves. I flew on the E-3 Airborne Warning Command and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. While many of you may not be familiar with this airframe, in “civilian” lingo – I flew on a surveillance platform where my primary duties consisted of passing information through technical channels as well as on the radio, where attention to detail, and strong decision making abilities were paramount to my job.
So, lets move on to accountability. My first real exposure to accountability started very early on – in fact on day one at Basic Training. We were flooded with strict adherence to guidelines, processes, procedures and checklists. From folding your tee-shirts in perfect six by six inch squares, to wearing the uniform correctly, and performing as a team – accountability surrounded me in every waking minute of the day. Now I will say that since Basic Training I no longer fold my tee-shirts in perfect six by six inch squares (who does?), but what does something so minor have to do with the business world?
Every day we are held accountable for our actions and performance. At any one time when I was talking on the radio – up to one hundred people could have access to hearing my conversation, was I communicating in a way that people could understand my message, and was I being a positive representative of my organization? You can ask yourself the same type of question – are you being a positive representative every time you pick up the phone and talk to a client or a customer, is every e-mail that you send representing accurate information? So what if you have a typo on an e-mail, you’re human right? Maybe you weren’t as helpful as you could have been on the phone, but you spilled your coffee on the way to work and you’re just plain cranky – it happens to everybody. But what about the person that’s receiving your service, what do they think of you and your organization?
The bottom line is that people judge. Let’s say for instance that two people in the military show up to work – one individual looks impeccable, their uniform is clean and ironed, their boots are shined to a high gloss – the other individual looks like they’ve slept in their uniform, and their boots are dull. Which person are you going to want to be on your team? Of course most would pick the first individual because they look like they care about themselves and their organization – they look like they can be trusted, they look like they’re accountable. Does that mean that you should spend a fortune on dry-cleaning every year? Not exactly, but being accountable means that even down to the smallest task (folded tee-shirts), can enable you to shine or to look dull.
Make accountability a daily effort – push yourself and your team to be accountable at all times, ask your supervisor for feedback, and if accountability was not stressed on day one (as in my case), re-evaluate your personal goals and organizational goals to make accountability a priority. As the old cliché goes – you’re only as strong as your weakest link, so be strong, and be ACCOUNTABLE!
Bethany Gundersen
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Accountability - On the Job
...In Life
Accountability is a portion of the job that a lot of people forget about. They think about showing up on the job, going through the motions and getting paid. However, are they producing what is needed and being accountable for what they are doing? To be accountable is being liable or answerable for one's actions; the good AND the bad. Taking "response-ability" for what you've done is in the business handbook... Having an honest response about what you've completed, what you are working on, and what you've failed to do makes a world of difference in a manager's eyes.
If you are in a position where production must stay high to keep your job, you must be aware about what you've accomplished and not accomplished. There are people in roles where they are working hard, not smart and continue to "spin their wheels" on the job. Would you rather continue to use a broken process or method that doesn't bring results, or would you rather fess up to your failure and ask for help?
Assuming blame or taking responsibility for not making something happen opens up many doors. It brings out new ideas and new processes that can help you be successful. This can only happen if you are honest with yourself, and accountable for your breakdown.
For example, I was working on a position where I continued to look in the same places and came across the same people over and over and over. I wasn't finding the caliber of candidates that my client was looking for, therefore I wasn't having a successful recruiting run. I went to my manager, fessed up to my road-block, and asked for help. She in turn came up with a creative way to contact people – good, qualified people. In one short day I had turned my slump into major progress, and took care of my client's needs. Being accountable for my decline not only made a difference for my client, but it was also a way of proving to my manager that I can be trusted and ready to learn.
Taking responsibility for one's actions not only applies a great deal in the corporate culture, but at home as well. They always say "honesty is the best policy" because it provides grounds for relationship building. If you are not candid with your partner and not accountable for your actions how can they "count" on you to be there for them? Relationships, whether they be business or personal cannot grow with lies and betrayal. If you say you are going to do something, you need to stick to your words or be "accountable" for correcting them. A client won't continue to do business with you if your word isn't strong. Your partner won't stick by you if you continually break your promises or fall short of meeting the goals the two of you have created together.
Being accountable in the business atmosphere is important. Knowing what works and more importantly, what doesn't work will help you be aware of your actions. It will be of guidance for success in the future. Taking responsibility for failures can provide you with a wealth of information and prove to whomever that you can be relied upon and honest. Knowing where you've fallen in the hole is better than continually doing something that is a waste of time. Your time is valuable to your employer and your client if spent wisely.
Katy Browning
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