Promoting Accountability - A Principle for Leaders

Accountability.  

It is essential for leaders to provide it. It can also be exceedingly difficult to do so. Especially when you frame it the wrong way. Consider the following scenario.  

Andre has been late to important meetings a few too many times. You decide to speak to him after being late to work once this morning's management meeting has concluded.  

"Andre, I'd like to discuss what happened this morning."  

When you stress the importance of being on time, he readily agrees. "I'm 100% with you that punctuality is important, but there was an accident on the highway and the traffic was backed up," responds Andre.  

You feel stuck. The accident was completely out of his control. It's not his fault. How can you hold him accountable? 

How would you handle the situation? 

For many frontline supervisors or first-time managers, encountering this scenario leads to second-guessing themselves. They hesitate, unsure of how to continue; feeling unable to disregard a legitimate reason for not meeting the expectation. They capitulate, saying something like, "Ok, well I guess that can't be helped."  

And while this is true to a certain extent, it doesn't keep people accountable. It doesn't maintain the standard, reinforce the expectations or drive performance. Experience this several times and you begin to hesitate in even having the conversation and end up actively avoiding all accountability-related conversations. 

This is not only a junior leader problem. I've encountered many executives who wrestle with the same challenge. Whether dealing with charismatic reports or holding peers accountable. The more senior you are, the more frustrated you become at your inability to effectively hold people accountable. Partly because you believe you should be able to do it well, and partly because the impact of underperformance is greater at higher levels.   

So how do you do it well? 

ISSUE OVER INCIDENT 

While there are many aspects to effective accountability conversations, here is one principle that will help you avoid a common pitfall that entraps many leaders.  

The Principle: Deal with the issue over the incident.  

One of the common errors I see from leaders at all levels is trying to address a specific incident, rather than the underlying issue. They frame the conversation about what happened in the latest specific scenario.  

The problem with this approach is you play a gamble with what you do not know. The reality is, for any given situation, one could find extenuating circumstances. Circumstances that are outside one's control are legitimate reasons for failure to meet expectations. Usually, they are circumstances that you are unaware of.  

The result is often, "Yes, but…" 

They agree with you before highlighting everything outside their control that prevented them from doing what was expected of them. They absolve themselves, handing over ownership and responsibility, excusing themselves of accountability. Whether intentional or unintentional, they turn circumstances into excuses. They become the victim, powerless to do anything different.  

When you focus on the incident, they focus on the circumstances.  

When you focus on the issue, however, the circumstances take a back seat. The expectations, the standards, the behaviour and the performance are all prioritised. The conversation becomes about what the individual is or is not doing to meet the expectations, uphold the standards, demonstrate the desired behaviour and achieve the performance required.  

When addressing the issue, patterns of behaviour become apparent. The circumstances of any one incident become less influential. The failure to mitigate compromising circumstances becomes evident. The onus and ownership are shifted squarely back to the individual.  

Thus accountability is enabled.  

DON'T FORGET THE INCIDENT 

While you need to focus on the issue over any specific incident, you can't forget about the incident. I'm sure you have experienced attempting to address an issue with someone, only for them to turn around and ask, "When? Give me an example." If you can't provide an example, your position is eroded, and you feel embarrassed and unable to continue the conversation. 

Specific incidents provide the evidence that supports your position. You need to be able to cite this evidence and provide examples for you to be taken seriously. It is also important you highlight the impact of the incident. What was the effect of not meeting expectations, upholding the standards or performing as required? 

It is the impact of the incident that identifies why addressing the issue is important.  

So don't forget the incident, but don’t focus on it too much or frame the conversation around it. Raise the issue, reference the incident, return to the issue and discuss how the individual can make changes that promote ownership, accountability and the proactive pursuit of performance.  

BACK TO ANDRE 

So what does it look like? Rather than beginning the conversation with Andre by asking to discuss what happened this morning, you could try: 

"Andre, I'd like to discuss the importance of punctuality. While I understand there was an accident on the motorway this morning which was outside your control, there seems to be a pattern that results in you not making it to work on time and being late for the management meetings. I'd like to explore what you might do to ensure you're on time moving forward." 

Focus on the issue, and acknowledge the circumstance, but keep the focus on what can be done proactively to meet expectations.