Has someone you report to ever said to you, “I’m holding you accountable for so-and-so”? Or: “You’re going to be held accountable if X, Y, or Z doesn’t happen”?
How did that make you feel? Did it inspire you? Did it make you glad that you had picked such a great place to work and found such a great boss? Did it get your creative juices flowing?
Accountable leaders know that the values of the organization must always connect to the actions and decisions of each and every team member. They also know that Respect has to be one of those values. If team members are not willing to treat each other with respect — whether that is over a political disagreement, a disagreement about how to redecorate the breakroom, or anything in between — then the accountable leader has to call time-out and make sure the value of Respect is restored.
There are two potent realities that connect to the remote leadership challenge, and each of them is refusing to go away, despite the best efforts of some to stop believing in them. Each reality is worth understanding, because one of the core commitments of the accountable leader is a commitment to the truth, and this is a commitment that starts at home.
(This article is the second in a series of posts about the challenges of leading a remote workforce.) In a previous post, I pointed out that many leaders, in the wake of new staffing circumstances brought about by the response to the global pandemic, are now asking variations on this question: How do I hold my people accountable when they are not working in the office? In this post, I want to issue a pointed
I talk to many leaders who ask: How do I hold remote workers accountable? And: How can I manage somebody when I can’t see them in person and can’t check up on what they’re doing? Those two questions offer leaders an important opportunity for self-assessment on their own personal accountability. What do I mean by that? I mean that if you are aspiring to be an accountable leader, and either or both of these questions
Here is a critical question for accountable teams. Let’s say you know for certain that the leader you report to is making a choice that undermines an important commitment–a choice that does not align with the organization’s stated values. What do you do? Do you speak up? Do you find an appropriate place and time to share your perspective that the commitments and the values of your organization are being compromised? Or do you make
You may only dimly recall the name Collin Martin from a story that flashed by a while back…or you may have no idea at all who Collin Martin is or why he is important in any discussion of accountable leadership. That is about to change. A midfielder for the San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship soccer league, Martin did something remarkable in June of 2018: He came out publicly as gay. This made him
So: What makes the customer experience positive? A culture by design. And what makes that culture by design an accountable culture? Keeping commitments to people. One of the most critical of those commitments is the commitment to live the values. That has to start at the top.
Accountability and responsibility are two very different things. Accountability is keeping your commitments to people. Responsibility is taking on a certain task. The difference is subtle and instructive, and it connects to the vitally important concept of commitment. There are tactical commitments, for which people take on responsibility, and which build productivity (that is what leaders want). And there are also relational commitments, which support relationships and build accountability (that is what leaders need).
What is the first and most important commitment of accountable leaders? What do true Masters of Accountability always do? I ask this question often, and I get a wide variety of responses. It surprises me how rarely people share the answer I am looking for: Accountable leaders are committed to developing their team members to their fullest potential.
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