Do you need to “baby sit” them to be sure that things happen and that they drive results?

That’s what you’re paying them to do, isn’t it?

And now you’re doing their job. You end up doing 10% of one managers job, 15% of another’s, and so on, until you don’t have enough left to properly do your job. So your job goes undone, and it’s all because you are trying to be “understanding and accommodating.” You need to get things done, even if you have to do them yourself. Right?

But you need to be free to guide the ship. You need to be up in the crow’s nest making sure the ship is going in the right direction.

This is your responsibility. If you’re not doing that, you may be furiously going in the wrong direction.

And the same people who are letting you do part of the job you are paying them to do, are going to be upset/critical that they aren’t informed, that we don’t have a clear strategy, etc.

This problem is quite common. It happens so gradually that we often don’t see that it’s happened, until things have gotten significantly off course. We get busy too. So it’s hard to find time for these things.

Do People Really Want Accountability?

Good question. Yes and no. They will avoid it if possible, but are happier when they have it and things are coming together.

People aren’t happy unless they are working towards a goal. One of the most consistent findings among researchers on effectiveness deals with goal setting and its relationship to productivity. In a nutshell, the two are directly linked.

The more attention devoted to goal setting, the higher the productivity of the group and individuals within the group.

Why don’t people pick up these goals and run with them? They act as though they can ignore the goals, and everything will be just fine.

Without accountability, people won’t perform. The more frequent the accountability, the better.

If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?
– Vince Lombardi

The more accountability you have, the more money you are going to make. Your thinking will be clearer. Your focus sharper. And you are going to continually readjust until you are continually hitting your target.

Managerial Accountability — We Are Accountable to Our Employees

We are accountable to our employees to put things together. And in Gainsharing companies, to create the conditions that drive their bonuses.

We’re the leaders. We’re responsible for the results. If things don’t go well, it’s our fault.

As leaders, we’re accountable for results, for working through other people, for communicating, for following up to track results, for problem solving. Difficult task. Right?

Would it be helpful if there was an external discipline, a system or structure to make sure this happened? One that lets us know if parts of this aren’t happening and to start moving to the fix? Darn right it would be.

So What Is the Solution?

To be accountable, we must be held accountable to “something.”

To drive the overall performance of a company, facility, or department, we must define “what good looks like.” What are we trying to do? Being specific here is ESSENTIAL!

If we’re not specific, accountability fades away. Being specific puts teeth into “did you hit your goal?” “Did your department or area pull its weight in hitting the overall goal?”

The solution is to have a weekly plan regarding what we are going to do to be in the hunt for a bonus.

In our Gainsharing Systems, management meets each week to plan (as specifically as possible) the goals for the week.

Once the overall plan exists, it’s broken down into what has to happen where, by when, for the total plan to come together.

You then have components that your management team is accountable for and to.

They need to AGREE that they can do their part in the overall plan. Then next week, you meet again and are held accountable to how you did against the plan.

Without the plan, you can’t have the accountability or aggressive problem solving. Without the plan you’re stuck with a “Do your best” goal, which research has shown does not work as well as specific, measureable goals.

Some people tell me, “We can’t plan. Things change too much.” I’ve never encountered a company where a weekly plan couldn’t be put together. There’s always a way to define “what good looks like.”

Rob Davis, co-owner of AVID Ink in Corona, CA notes that,

“As a growing company, my partner and I can only focus so much energy on accountability. Previous to the introduction of Gainsharing, we had multiple departments that ran independent of one another.

The pleasant surprise with the introduction of Gainsharing was that it really allowed inter-department communication and really provided an awareness of what the other departments were doing, and how it affected each department. So when one department did not perform as expected, the other departments are aware of what the expectations are, and quite frankly, can call them out on that.

So, they are all raising the level of expectations for all departments. And it doesn’t require us as owners to do that. That’s the benefit . . . They’re doing that on their own.”

Your Assignment

(1) Assess whether your management team has a clear, specific plan or objectives that they’re held accountable to on a weekly basis.

The more specific you are, the more accountability you have, the better your results will be.

(2) Consider how you could clarify what each area needs to do for the plan to come together. Your Gainsharing System will do this for you. It’ll also tie their pay to the results they achieve. If you would like to learn more specifics about this you can request our Gainsharing Executive Briefing DVD by clicking here.

(3) Think about how your Management Team can meet regularly (weekly) to review their plan for the week ahead, how they did against last week’s plan, and what they are going to do to fix the system problems that this analysis reveals.

Your people want this type of accountability. It’ll drive forward momentum and make them feel better about themselves and your Company.

It’s your responsibility (as management) to put accountability in place.

Your employees are counting on you. You’ll feel better and be confident that you’re on the right track, with a disciplined system for accountability, feedback and “course correction” in action.