Video transcript:
As the year winds down, we humans typically reflect on what went well and not-so-well over the previous twelve months. A question that business leaders must consider today is, “How accountable are leaders and team members for delivering both results and respect?”
Over the past 35 years, our research reveals that accountability for results (performance expectations) in organizations around the globe is wildly inconsistent. Contributing factors typically include:
Poorly defined or a lack of specific expectations
Team members don’t have the skills, training, or tools required to meet expectations
Little to no regular monitoring or check-ins
Leaders don’t know how to coach team members to consistently meet expectations
Accountability for respect (values, expectations) varies as well, from inconsistent to completely absent. The factors driving this reality often include:
Poorly defined or a lack of observable, tangible and measurable valued behaviors
Little to no measurement of values alignment of leaders by their direct reports
Leaders don’t have the skills, training or tools to effectively coach for values alignment
Leaders tolerate toxic behaviors (by leaders and team members), which encourages demeaning treatment
Our accountability model puts the initial responsibility for holding people accountable for results and respect on the shoulders of formal leaders. We coach leaders in five accountability practices: model, celebrate, measure, coach and mentor. Building skills in these practices improves demonstrated respect and delivered results.
Over time, if team members see their leaders holding others accountable, frontline staff proactively engage in accountability conversations with their peers.
The WD40 Company accelerated this process, with remarkable impact. Garry Ridge and the company leaders decided to help every tribe member take initiative, ask questions, make decisions and share information proactively. How? Through a commitment to the “Maniac Pledge.”
“I am responsible for taking action, asking questions, getting answers and making decisions. I won’t wait for someone to tell me. If I need to know, I’m responsible for asking. I have no right to be offended that I didn’t ‘get this sooner.’ If I’m doing something others should know about, I’m responsible for telling them.”
Embedding the Maniac Pledge into daily operations and interactions shifted the responsibility from leaders driving accountability for results and respect to every leader and tribe member driving accountability themselves.
The impact on respect and results is impressive. Engagement is consistently at 90%+, along with record net sales and exceeding targets in gross margin and net income growth.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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