Why Accountability Dies Without Follow-Up

Part Three of Three:

You just finished a great leadership meeting

  • Lots of discussion
  • Lots of ideas
  • Lots of decisions
  • Everyone leaves energized

Thirty days later, you ask:

“Whatever happened with that technician training program?”

Silence…

  • “I thought Mike was handling it.”
  • “No, I thought Susan had that.”
  • “We got busy.”
  • “I haven’t had a chance to get to it.”

And there it is…                                                                                                           

        …The place where accountability goes to die…The space between the meeting and the follow-up

Accountability Is a Rhythm

Many owners believe accountability is something you do when someone fails.

It isn’t….That’s performance correction.

Accountability is a consistent process of making commitments, tracking commitments, and reviewing commitments

The formula is simple:

Expectation + Measurement + Follow-Up = Accountability

  • Most companies establish expectations
  • Some companies measure results
  • Very few consistently follow up

That’s why so many good ideas never become operating systems

Every Commitment Needs Three Things

At the end of every meeting, every action item should have:

  • One owner
  • One due date
  • One measurable outcome

“We need to improve training” is not a commitment

         “John will complete the new Lawn Care Technician      

          onboarding checklist by August 15” is a commitment

“We need to fix the routing problem” is not a commitment

         “Sarah will review the ten least-efficient routes and present   

           recommended changes at next Tuesday’s production  

           meeting” is a commitment

Specific commitments can be tracked…                                                                      

                                           …Vague intentions cannot

Start Every Meeting With the Previous Commitments

Here’s a simple change that will dramatically improve accountability in your company

Before discussing new problems, review last week’s commitments

Completed?   Yes or no

Don’t start with a 20-minute explanation

Was it completed?

If yes, great. Move on

If not, ask:

“What prevented completion?”

This is where management matters.

  • Maybe the employee encountered a legitimate obstacle
  • Maybe priorities changed
  • Maybe resources weren’t available
  • Or maybe the person simply didn’t do what they committed to doing

Those are very different situations.

Your job as a leader is to determine which one you’re dealing with

Stop Rescuing People

Owners and managers often unknowingly destroy accountability by rescuing employees.

An employee says:

“What should I do?”

The manager gives the answer:

  • A Crew Leader has a scheduling problem
    • The Production Manager fixes the schedule
  • An Account Manager has an unhappy customer
    • The owner calls the customer

It feels efficient

The problem is you are training employees to bring problems up the organizational chart

Instead, start asking:

  • “What do you recommend?”
  • “What options have you considered?”
  • “What do you think we should do next?”
  • “What’s your plan?”

You may not agree with the answer

That’s okay

You can coach the decision

But make them think

Every time you solve a problem someone else should own, you weaken accountability…

            …And eventually, YOU become the operating system

Accountability Requires Consequences

This is the part nobody likes to discuss

If missed commitments repeatedly have no consequences, commitments become suggestions.

Consequences don’t always mean disciplinary action:

  • The first consequence may be a conversation
  • The second may be coaching
  • The third may be a documented performance discussion

But repeated failure to meet clearly defined expectations must eventually lead to a decision:

  • Is this a training problem?
  • A resource problem?
  • A process problem?
  • A capacity problem?
  • Or a people problem?

Great leaders don’t immediately blame employees…

             …But they also don’t endlessly tolerate missed commitments

Consistency Creates the Culture

You don’t create an accountability culture with a speech

  • You create it every Monday morning
  • You create it when you review the scorecard
  • You create it when you ask about last week’s commitment
  • You create it when you don’t rescue a manager from a problem they should solve
  • You create it when missed expectations are addressed quickly and consistently

Over time, something interesting happens

  • People begin showing up prepared
  • Managers know their numbers
  • Commitments get completed
  • Problems get solved closer to where they occur
  • And the owner stops chasing everyone

The Bottom Line…

Accountability isn’t about being tough…

                                    …It’s about being consistent:

  • Make clear commitments
  • Assign one owner
  • Establish a due date
  • Track the result
  • Follow up every time

Because the fastest way to destroy accountability is to ask someone to do something—and never ask about it again

If it matters enough to assign…

               …It matters enough to follow up

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

Fred

To Learn More Contact Fred at TrueWinds Consulting

[email protected]     

(619) 665-7854