June 2022 - The Awakened Company

LEADERSHIP & ACCOUNTABILITY

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Dear Awakened Company Community Member,

To be accountable and responsible is an invitation to live into our potential; it activates our dreams!!! This month we are diving into the uncomfortable, to where we must go if we are to learn – accountability. How do we hold people accountable in our organizations? Our leaders, our teams, our colleagues? Ultimately strategy is action. So what happens and what do we do if someone does not meet deadlines, is late, or does not live up to their commitments? This is a sensitive topic as it is something most leaders struggle with. How do we address accountability?

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Business Research

First, how do we create accountability and what is it?   

Accountability means taking responsibility. In organizations, it is an assurance that something will be completed and if not, clear reasons are communicated in advance. People and teams are then evaluated based on their performance to these responsibilities.

Here are some steps to help you and your organization develop responsibilities:

1. Be clear on who is doing what, when, how, and how much it is going to cost. 
2. Have a team of people you regularly discuss responsibilities with. Create accountability clusters – where individuals or teams meet in partnership or triages to check in on responsibilities.  
3. Have regular deadlines and positively notice each other’s wins – small, concrete, achievable goals. Offer positive feedback.
4. Have consequences for failing to meet your goals.  Research shows people are very sensitive to losses. We will be more successful when we know something is at stake. Some teams have put money on the line. For example, If they don’t achieve something,  they come up with a consequence like donating money to a charity that they are not in favour of.
5. Ensure that it is clear what people are accountable for, who people are accountable to (consider accountability partners), how often people will be held accountable, and what happens if goals aren’t met.
6. Write all of this down so it is clear and transparent for everyone in the organization. I love this article on accountability and I also love that it weaves in transformational leadership – a leadership model we believe in!

I love this article on accountability and I also love that it weaves in transformational leadership – a leadership model we believe in!

Try writing down your goal publicly and having accountability partners.

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Practical Know-How

Now, what if someone committed to doing something and does not, how do we handle it?

One suggestion we would have is to ask the person to evaluate themselves. Ask them how they believe they did on achieving their objectives?

• If they spot the problems in their actions on their own, then align on the next steps and communicate them clearly.  
• If they did not spot the problems on their own, inquire as to what they thought they were to be accountable for and discuss to clarify. From there, align on the next steps with the how, what, why, and when. 
• If it becomes a persistent problem, one of the techniques I have used is to gradually reduce what the person is doing until they are doing a limited number of tasks and eventually, if they do not perform, I have let them go. The nicest thing to do is to keep them, the kind thing to do is to clearly let them go so they can continue to learn and develop. However, what I have learned is when you see someone’s “sweet spot”, where their gifts shine, put them in those roles and give them the responsibilities that match their gifts.

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Wisdom Traditions

In terms of accountability, we need to be:

• Real
• Address Competence
• Be positive 

We would suggest going through the following questions: 

Real – does the team and/or person know what they’re accountable for? 

Competence – does the team and/or person have the competency to achieve the role?

Positive – does the team and/or person have the positive motivation to move forward? Invitation to consider mental wellness as part of this.

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Special Initiative

We teach the Enneagram around the world. This year alone we have taught it to people in over 25 countries for their organizations. 

We are supporting the “Enneagram in Business” in an international survey on the Enneagram & would appreciate your participation.

ENNEAGRAM IN ORGANIZATIONS GLOBAL SURVEY

Help us get thousands of people around the world to take this survey so we can find out how organizations are using the Enneagram and what differences it makes.

Please take just 15 minutes to give your input. You’ll contribute to building our collective knowledge about the impact of using the Enneagram.

And please encourage your friends and colleagues all over the world to do the same. Share this link or let them know by email. 

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Survey online from June 15-July 22, 2022

Available in 23 languages

Takes less than 15 minutes to complete

Results will be available on enneagramsurvey.net in September 2022.

Catherine Bell & Bliss Aime will also be hosting an event with Dr. Bodga to debrief the survey results.

September 13th from 1-2 pm MST, 12-1pm PST, 3-4 EST

Sign up for the FREE event here

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We help organizations create awakened corporate cultures, strategy with soul, and host Enneagram sessions. We help to ignite/awaken the fire within organizations with passion, purpose, and playfulness to enable your potential.  

Thank you for being a member of our community and we hope this inspires you. 

For now, 

Catherine R. Bell