For many business leaders and HR professionals, conversations about accountability can be challenging. Research shows that 95% of employees care about delivering the highest-quality work and meeting their deadlines, and more than 75% believe accountability drives business results. Still, nearly two-thirds see it as a punitive measure that heightens their fear of making mistakes.
More than one-third of employees believe accountability is unfairly applied across the organization. Having such a negative view of the concept can make it difficult for everyone to see the benefits of accountability as a cultural cornerstone.
If you’re struggling to get your employees to follow through with their commitments and take ownership of their performance, you’re not alone. Discover the key actions you need to take to build a culture of accountability and empower employees to get results.
Why Accountability Is Crucial in the Workplace
A culture of workplace accountability ensures that employees know the importance of meeting expectations. This helps them focus on and commit to their work, leading to increased performance, higher efficiency, and better work quality.
Additionally, increased accountability can increase morale across the board. It ensures that everyone feels responsible for success and builds mutual trust between employees and leadership throughout the organization.
Strategies for Empowering Employee Ownership
Many leaders looking to hold employees accountable resort to micromanagement. While it may seem like a productive approach at first, it can quickly become overwhelming to keep track of every little action. Many employees also find it demoralizing, which can soon lead to engagement.
It’s best to take a more strategic approach to building accountability and ownership into your company culture. Consider the following strategies you can use to empower yourself and your employees.
Model Accountability
If you want employees to take responsibility for their work and its results, you must do the same. Modeling accountability for your employees sets the tone for the entire organization, showing that you are more committed to business success than painting an image of a perfect leader.
This modeling builds trust with the workforce and allows them to see the benefits of taking ownership of their actions in real time.
Focus on the Root Cause
Accountability isn’t just about punishing employees for their poor performance. It’s about truly understanding what went wrong and correcting the issue so the behavior will stop or the error doesn’t happen again.
To do this, you must focus on the root cause of the problem. For example, employees may be working with insufficient technology. They may not have the training or skills to take on the new tasks they’ve been assigned. Before you have a conversation with an employee, consider what may be contributing to their lack of performance and how the issue can be solved or mitigated.
Check Your Expectations
According to research from Gallup, 55% of employees report that they don’t know the expectations for their role. If your employees are not sure what you expect from them, they won’t have any idea how to fulfill the requirements. Additionally, you won’t have any real standard to hold them accountable to, resulting in high levels of frustration for everyone.
Make sure that everyone on your team is clear on their performance metrics and goals. Check in with them often to discuss their progress and provide coaching and advice on overcoming roadblocks.
Have Courageous Conversations
Building a culture of accountability means being willing to let employees know when they are not meeting expectations. However, this doesn’t mean that you always have to levy swift consequences.
It’s important for leaders to talk with struggling employees to find out what is causing their performance issues and help them find solutions. In these conversations, remember to be empathetic and provide flexible solutions where you can. Sometimes, a simple adjustment is all it takes to get employees back on track.
Accountability Is Key for True Leadership Development
As a business or HR leader, you want employees who are ready and able to take on increasing responsibility to help you meet your goals. A culture of accountability is crucial in developing employees to this end. If you’re looking to move the needle on building leaders to secure your organization’s future, a customized leadership development program from AssetHR and Relevant Movement may be just what you need. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you shape future leaders who drive lasting change and growth in your organization.