Stop Holding People Accountable at Work
Stop holding people accountable! It doesn’t work.
Heresy, right? Leadership coaching focuses strongly on accountability, as well as accountable communication and building an accountable culture. So how can I say it doesn’t work?
First, it’s quite frankly insulting. If you tell a team member, “I’m holding you accountable,” there is a strong implication they are incapable of holding themselves accountable.
Second, rather than empowering them, you may be undermining their need to hold themselves accountable. You’re keeping score and tracking, so why should they?
Third, by imposing a specific outcome for which you are holding someone accountable, you may inadvertently squash an opportunity for innovation or for them to want to surpass your expectations.
How will you get high performance without holding your team accountable?
Shared values.
Create a culture of shared values, including the value of holding ONESELF accountable. This is a far more effective and empowering means of coaxing excellent performance from every employee in the company.
Nordstrom is an example of a shared value culture. They are famous for their customer service culture — a standout in the retail world. According to Mary Porter, Nordstrom’s VP of Human Resources,
We know that great service starts with our people, which is why we look for people who value hard work, creativity, entrepreneurialism, collaboration and competition.”
They are also known for recognizing and celebrating their staff’s achievements based on those values. Rather than imposing strict rules for what excellent customer service looks like, Nordstrom’s employee manual states,
“In every situation, use your best judgment. There will be no additional rules.”
Empowering, isn’t it?
At Momentum Consulting, we have 26 shared behavioral fundamentals and have inspired multiple clients to create their own. Our clients’ fundamentals are shared, repeated, reinforced, and used as both hiring and goal-setting tools. Accountability is always one of those values, but the focus is on holding yourself accountable, not others.
You can, of course, hold your employees responsible for coming to the office on time. But you cannot hold them accountable for being engaged, motivated and having a spirit of ownership; that is on you as a leader!
~ Tracey
Fundamental of the Week #12 BE ACCOUNTABLE:
Own what happens in your world. That means holding yourself and others to account in a way that strengthens the relationship.
Momentum Consulting offers executive business coaching, top-level executive consulting, team trainings and team off-sites to build and transform your business to the next level. Inquire about business consulting and leadership coaching today.
