Accountability is just one of those things that means something different to every other person. I think a lot of people have it all wrong. They think if the bring the HAMMER down on people it will force them to do what they want. I have had some leaders say holding people accountable is to cut their pay, demote them, term them, yell at them, or worst of all call them out in front of their peers, co-workers or superiors. I HOPE it goes without saying that these things are damaging to employee engagement, office culture, and will not get you the results you are looking for most of the time. So what does right look like? Its actually a really simple concept, but not so simple to put into place. It is a practice.
I define accountability by simply being honest with someone. It's a conversation! Sometimes we think the employee should know better, but if we don't simply say something and say it in a respectful way , then the employee may not notice there is a problem or may lose respect for you as a leader or the organization as a whole because you didn't have the guts to say anything. After a few conversations then of course more discipline is warranted, but initially treating people as humans and reminding them of things they should know is just leadership. Here's some examples....
"Hey Suzy, you haven't been making it to huddle, I know you have a lot going on and I totally understand and get that, but because it isn't ok for everyone else to be late, I can't make exceptions for you. Going forward lets be on time ,ok?"
"Hey Mark, our system is to only schedule patients if they put down a deposit. I apologize if this hasn't been clear in the past. Do you have any questions or can I hold you to it from now on?"
I hope this Blog post helps those of you that want to be the very best leaders you can be.
-Ashley