Can You Make People Be Accountable?

Make people be accountable? Let's consider that idea.

Accountability exists when all employees at every level can be counted on to do what they have agreed to do with no surprises. Unfortunately, you cannot make people accountable, at least in the sense of willingly committing to do what is asked without threat, coercion, intimidation, etc.

Real accountability is voluntary. It is taking personal responsibility to the next level by contributing beyond mere requirements. So you cannot make someone be (feel) accountable. What you can do, though, is set up the right conditions. Six elements are required:

1. Know and communicate your strategic direction and your core values. Develop a plan and let everyone know what it is and how they fit. Articulate your core values -- what you stand for and, not incidentally, the basis for how people will make decisions. Consider that in today's knowledge-based environments, according to the Conference Board, the average employee will make up to 100 decisions each day. In accountable organizations, people know where the organization is going, what it values, and how those values should influence day-to-day decisions.
2. Get your processes and measures aligned. Measures drive performance and behavior providing a focus on results. Processes define how work is performed. If one or both are out of sync and/or not aligned with your strategic direction, progress will not be made or the results willbe skewed.
3. Hire the right people. Most leaders hire for skills and knowledge. While these are important, the real predictor of success on the job is fit. Will the person fit into your culture? Are they willing to participate? Will they support the game plan? So look for fit in your hiring efforts o you may be looking at turnover, voluntary or boss-induced.
4. Work with individuals. You need to go one-on-one with people to provide direction and input as well as feedback, even with experienced hires. Employees generally are not psychic and each comes with a different set of knowledge, skills, abilities and motivations. In accountable organizations, leaders think like mentors, coaches and trainers, not like "the boss".
5. Monitor progress. Regular follow-up with each individual on aroutine basis is critical. Your role here has three elements -- give feedback, remove obstacles and find resources. Help people live up to their full potential.
6. Be persistent; be consistent. The last step, just sticking with it, may be the most difficult of all the steps. As anyone who has created a New Year's resolution knows, the tough part is not deciding what to do; the hard part is doing it consistently over a long period of time. Develop a system for yourself to put the first five elements in place and then execute consistently day by day.

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