A New Kind of Accountability
by Paula K. Martin, Executive Consultant,
Martin Training Associates
Accountability can be a help or a hindrance to a project. In the past, accountability was synonymous with blame. It created fear, forced people to cover their backsides, sabotaged learning and did very little to enhance performance. Now, we have a new way to approach accountability - as a proactive approach to preventing problems. In order to make this approach work, you need to follow these three rules:
Tip 1. Use preventive accountability.
Accountability has been used as a club - to beat up
on people when something went wrong. The statement, "Who's accountable
for this?" sent fear racing through the veins of team members. A more
effective approach to accountability is to use it for prevention, not
punishment. The question you should be asking team members is, "Who
is accountable to make sure this outcome happens as planned?" The accountable
person's job is to do whatever is possible in order to assure the defined
outcome is achieved. If something goes wrong, the question to ask is,
"What can we learn from this so we can do a better job next time?"
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