Accountability is a loaded word – and it probably doesn’t mean what you think. Accountability is making a commitment and following through on that commitment. The commitment can be to a manager, the team, another team member, a subordinate, a customer, a supplier, a partner, or anyone else inside or outside the organization.
We all make commitments, big and small, every day. When an employee accepts a job, he or she is committing to perform that job in exchange for appropriate compensation. When an employee tells their manager they will do something, they commit to do it. When a member of a team accepts an action item or takes on a project, they are making a commitment to the team. How we deliver on those commitments demonstrates our level of accountability
How do you hold others accountable to delivering on the commitment they have made? The short answer is you can’t. They either are, or are not. “Holding someone accountable” isn’t telling them what to do and then nagging them until they get it done. You provide the opportunity for them to make the commitment and then get regular updates on their progress.
The EOS program is hard-wired to gain commitments from the members of the leadership team and provide a fool-proof process for tracking those commitments:
- Rocks: Each quarter, the leadership team decides on the most important things to be accomplished in the next 90 days (Rocks). Each member of the leadership team then agrees to take responsibility for one or more of these quarterly Rocks. Each member of the leadership team may also commit to individual goals (Individual Rocks). Each Rock, whether a company Rock or an individual Rock, must be Specific, Measurable, and Attainable. There must also be one owner (Responsible party) and a due date (Time). Having all these attributes makes the Rocks SMART.
- Scorecard: The leadership team determines which metrics should be tracked on a weekly basis, along with a goal for each. Each member of the leadership team agrees to take responsibility for one or more of these metrics.
- To-dos: Issues are Identified, Discussed, and Solved in the weekly Leadership Team Meeting. This usually results in one or more “To-Dos”, and the members of the leadership team agree to take responsibility for each.
Personal accountability also comes into play at the weekly Leadership Team meeting:
- Rocks are reviewed and the responsible party is asked to report whether their Rocks are “on-track” or “off-track”. If they are on-track, they are, in effect, recommitting to completing the Rock. If they report that the Rock is “off-track” they are alerting the team that the Rock is in jeopardy of not being completed and the leadership team can then determine the appropriate course of action – providing additional resources, reassigning it, allocating additional time, etc.
- The Scorecard is reviewed and if any of the metrics on the Scorecard are off track relative to the goal, it is flagged. If the team determines action should be taken, the issue is Identified, Discussed, and Solved and To-Dos are generated as a result. Leadership team members, usually the one who “owns” that particular metric, agree to take responsibility for each To-Do.
- The To-Dos from the prior meeting are reviewed, and the responsible party is asked to report whether their To-Do is complete or not. If not, the team decides what action should be taken.
If an employee fails to deliver on their commitments, you, as the manager, are accountable to take appropriate action. Failure to deliver on commitments can be related to completion of Rocks, completion of To-Dos, failure to meet goals on the scorecard, or simply any personal commitments the employee makes to you. The action you take should be determined by the situation, but action must be taken. Failure to deliver on small commitments may result in a small action, such a verbal reprimand or something similar. Failure to deliver on larger, more important commitments may result in a big action, such as a demotion, removal from the leadership team, or withholding a promotion, raise, bonus, or something similar. Habitual failure to deliver on commitments must result in a drastic consequence, such as losing the privilege to work for your company. If you fail to take appropriate action, you signal to employees that it is OK to renege on commitments.
In summary, each employee is accountable for fulfilling the commitments they make to you and the leadership team. By implementing a program like EOS in your company, you can formalize the process of getting commitments from employees, tracking those commitments, and taking action if the commitments aren’t honored.