Accountability and Nice: Do They Cancel Each Other Out?

Today at the grocery store, I waited 12 minutes to buy turkey at the deli. There were five high school kids wanting made-to-order sandwiches in the queue, with one employee behind the counter. 

I gave up and bought pre-packaged Oscar Meyer.

I mentioned to the checkout clerk "Your manager might want to consider adding a deli employee during the high school lunch hour." 

He did the eye-roll face and said "I'm an old timer. I don't believe in this new-fangled, permissive management. We serve customers! Our manager let all but one of the deli employees go to lunch at the same time so they could socialize ... during our busiest hour. My sincere apologies for the inconvenience."

Which got me thinking "Where did accountability go?"

In our desire and focus to move the needle on engagement, have we confused with what it means to hold people accountable?

If there is a single concern I hear most often from leaders, it is “How do we drive better accountability from teams and people?"

Unfortunately, ongoing conversations that support Accountability are an endangered species in business. Clear expectations, practices, agreements in the workplace - this is how you compete. And yet, that requires people who establish and reinforce clear standards and boundaries.

In today's lean, matrix, fast-moving industries that must look like more front-line and team coaches.

Most often, "lack of accountability" is code for one (or more) common issues:

• Fearing Millennials will quit if managers enforce rules, yet we need the bodies.
• Individuals covering up mistakes, fearful to admit they don’t know or are in over their head.
• Unrealistic daily task loads make it hard to stay tuned to the customer.
• Plowing ahead to do what I think the boss wants (he or she is too busy for feedback or check-in’s); missing by a mile and being shamed for it - often in public.
• Employees who lack inspiration, training, or skill to complete a task and the details involved, within a culture that has not been built to foster natural accountability.

A Brief History of Accountability

Most people want to be nice. (or at least to be seen as nice.)  

In fact, historically, “Accountability and Nice” were often viewed as two opposite ends of a continuum.

In today's world not only is it possible to hold people accountable while being nice ... it is the ONLY way you'll move fast enough and keep great employees.

For the record, I'm a Boomer, b. 1962. Back in the days when we were in career development mode...

• We did what we were told at work without question. (mostly.) When we didn't, we were more passive-aggressive than direct.
• We "respected" the boss; in reality we didn't believe we had the right to challenge him (or more rarely, her).
• Challenging the status quo was a career-limiting move in the 80's and 90's, when repetitive layoffs and mergers signaled the end of "career = one job."
• Many Uncle Bob's graced the workplace. (The kind that made Dilbert and The Office famous.) Guys and gals with poor work ethic, promoted to management when no one had the guts to fire them. A symbol of entitlement, in the making?

I know some of you are thinking "What's changed?"

EVERYTHING has changed.

Today's competitive arena means forging Accountability is the only way you'll survive in business - but the modern twist, is it must be grounded in trust and relationship.

"Nice" is not even on the same continuum - nor is it in opposition to Accountability.

Like it or not, Boomers taught the newer generation to challenge the status quo. To expect more from work and life. And in the process, to ask a lot of questions, to be transparent in work and life.

Truth is the New Nice.

What Is Accountability. (What It’s Not.)

Accountability is the outcome of a team or company in which the cultural norm is to accept responsibility for doing one’s job well. (which requires ongoing training.)

Accountability is ENABLING the natural desire of people to perform well.

Accountability is a natural consequence of people who are clear about goals and have a high-trust relationship with their manager, team and company.

Like Trust, it is the result of specific communication habits and behaviors, not a compliance activity. Accountability is harvested from relationships, reinforced by Core Values.

According to Patrick Lencioni, Accountability is the OUTCOME of environments that forge trust, speak with candor to work out differences, and understand commitment.

Illustration of Accountability, from The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

Accountability is NOT "absence of entitlement," the right state of mind, or being blessed with the right upbringing. Sure, these can help.

But accountability can be forged in any situation where there is clarity and leadership.

Lack of accountability is not an employee issue. It is a management problem. (Any dog trainer will tell you “We are training the owner, not the dog.”)

The most common root cause for lack of accountability in the workplace: Managers who are not trained, coached, expected to speak up and tell the truth swiftly, directly, kindly, to reinforce standards and desired behaviors.

Holding people accountable is a core purpose of management.

(Indeed, it is the core expectation of any business.)

HOW we go about it should be different today, versus 50 years ago (fewer sticks, more smiles); still, managers must reinforce, encourage, and reward desired behaviors. Otherwise, workplaces are simply one owner + 100, 1,000 or 100,000 employees.

Being kind and compassionate and constructive in HOW you hold people accountable is a learned skill. One that is essential if you are hiring younger generations.

Like culture, each company will have its own Accountability "special flavor." It's not one-size fits all. Some environments demand high control to minimize risk (Healthcare). One that depends on front-line engagement will focus on cohesive team accountability (Zappos, .)

To plant seeds for greater Accountability, these 3 universal truths always apply:

1. People with "emotional buy-in" (trust) with their manager are more likely to keep their agreements.
2. People do not need to “BE motivated …” Every person has internal motivation; a managers' job is to tap it.
3. People like challenges and being held to a high standard. Lazyness is the result of a person or team whose self-esteem has not been nurtured, challenged, and grown.

Want harvest better Accountability? Implement these 3 essential practices:

1)    Clarity. Minimally once per quarter every employee should be setting goals to challenge themselves to the next level of performance. Managers can guide the employee based on Department or Team targets, but the goals have to be set by the individual in order for them to have true buy-in.

2)     Coach. Any dynamic process (business, sports, life) requires ongoing course-correction. Managers hold standards. Teams share the load. The Team must not compete with each other. If someone is not pulling their weight, you must have sufficient bandwidth (supervisor to employee ratio) for them to coach proactively. Imagine a pro sports team saying “We like him but he’s not performing well; we’re not sure where to put him.” Be swift to move people after 60-90 days of active coaching. It’s not personal. In high performing cultures you must commit to those who will perform in your culture. DO NOT lower the standards for Uncle Bob (or promote him.)

3)     Celebrate. Focus on the positive and keep progress visible, ALWAYS. It is proven that teams who “ring the cowbell” and call out frequent celebrations, perform better. Highlight what you WANT (versus what’s not working); eliminate ALL blame-and-shame methods of management. “Well Done” feedback should be offered 3 times more than “Take a Look At.” Mistakes should be blame-free problem solving. Celebrating and rewarding "what's wanted" is a certain pathway to strong accountability.

In the deli example, assume their manager had followed the 3 basics of accountability:

When the idea of “let’s all go to lunch” surfaced, he could have reiterated #3 ("I want to support your connection as a team, and your desire to have lunch together"),

Reinforced #1 (reminding them gently of the customer service standards),

and supported #2 by listening to them discussing HOW to make it happen while meeting the standards (offering questions or input as needed.)

Remember to KISS when it comes to accountability.

It really is one of the elegant and simple answers in a complex world.