Dive Brief:
- New research reveals that fewer than one in five people are able to successfully hold others accountable for delivering on expectations in the workplace.
- Partners In Leadership, an accountability training and culture change company, conducted the research, called the Workplace Accountability Study.
- 82% of respondents admitted that they have "limited to no" ability to hold others accountable successfully. On the other hand, 91% of respondents said they would rank “improving the ability to hold others accountable in an effective way” as one of the top leadership development needs of their organization.
Dive Insight:
Roger Connors and Tom Smith, founders of Partners In Leadership, say that no matter how you slice the data, it’s clear that nearly everyone struggles with what may be the most prevalent organizational deficiency today—the ability to hold others accountable.
Their advice? They offer three suggestions in the article:
- Frame the expectation and give it meaning: When you sit down with someone to create an expectation, make sure you’ve framed it up in a way that clearly defines what is expected. Be sure to share the “why” behind it.
- Make it repeatable: Make the expectation memorable by making it repeatable using abbreviations, a rhyme, or some other mnemonic. For example, if you need sales improved by 25% by the end of the second quarter, you can both agree to “25 by Q2” as a simple, repeatable expectation to create clarity and make the expectation memorable and measurable.
- Set “by-whens:” When setting an expectation, mutually agree on key dates (and times), such as a follow-up meeting or completion deadline.
