Accountability: Is it a Balancing Act?

Can employers and business leaders influence their employees to have a desire and willingness to be held accountable? Before we answer that question, let’s ask ourselves, what does accountability really mean? 

First, let’s define accountability in the workplace. Generally speaking, accountability relates to an individual’s responsibility to do the job he/she is hired to do. In other words, when I accept responsibility for a project or a job function, my employer should expect me to take ownership of that specific project or job function. 

Ownership is the operative word. Here are a few examples of how you know that   employees ‘own’ their jobs and related responsibilities: 

1. An employee attitude that reflects a certain mindset. For instance, your employees should be saying things like, “I’ve been thinking of ways that I can please the client,” or “If I do ‘xyz,’ I believe that the client will view this activity favorably.”
2. An employee attitude that reflects staying on top of projects. Your employees should exhibit signs that they are setting standards and expectations for themselves. You will see employees taking responsibility for their actions, including successes, failures and any misunderstandings. 
3. All that said, employers aren’t totally off the hook either, as it is important that business leaders share some of the burden. In addition to expecting employees to take ownership of their jobs and responsibilities, it is first necessary for employers to take steps that fully support appropriate levels of employee ‘empowerment.’ So, functionally speaking, the concepts of empowerment and ownership work in harmony and hand-in-hand.  

It works like this: In order for employees to demonstrate accountability, they must be empowered by their employers at the same time. From the starting block, then, employers should empower their employees. Here are a few suggestions for accomplishing that step: 

1. Give employees sufficient opportunities for owning their projects.
2. Communicate reasonable expectations and check with employees to make sure that they understand and follow through.
3. Ask employees to make recommendations and come up with innovative solutions.
4. Follow-up with clients and customers to validate that your employees are performing at expected levels. Were the services or products delivered exceeding the caliber that the customer expected?
5. Break away from micro-managing styles, attitudes, habits and actions; in its place, lead from the top by setting an example and by empowering success. 

The last suggestion above is critical, as it really isn’t the boss’s responsibility to fix every single problem within an organization. If employers and leaders expect employees to take ownership and be empowered, they can’t, in turn, micro-manage employees without canceling out all the strides gained in achieving employee accountability. The reality is that, especially in today’s business environment, employers do not have time to constantly look over their shoulders to make sure employees are doing their jobs. 

By all means, your employees might make some mistakes along the way; however, it is all part of the accountability-building process. As the saying goes, “Failure is one of the greatest teachers”. You want to see your employees own-up to their successes, as well as their failures. Successful organizations are the ones who have achieved this ownership/empowerment employee mentality. Also, by stepping aside and breaking away from micro-managing employees, you are building valuable trust while demonstrating that you respect the worth of the individual. 

When employees know that you trust them to clean-up after their own mistakes, you are allowing opportunities for them to learn valuable lessons. As a result, your employees will grow to be even more committed to the success of the organization—and they will become better informed and even more responsible.

Can employers and business leaders influence their employees to have a desire and willingness to be held accountable?