One of the most important fundamentals to have as a professional is accountability. Without any sense of accountability, your career trajectory might be in jeopardy. As an owner or manager, it’s imperative to establish a staff full of accountable employees, as without them your business will likely fail. However, it can be challenging to find naturally accountable employees, and even more challenging instilling a sense of accountability in your existing employees. However, the benefits of instilling these values cannot be understated. A sense of heightened satisfaction, an increase in your organization’s bottom line, and more chances for professional advancement are all a result of forming a sense of accountability in the workplace.
How can managers instill these values in their employees, though? Well, recent research indicates that they’ve had quite a bit of trouble doing so. Four in every five managers have indicated that they have limited to no ability to hold their staff accountable successfully. This is disastrous for the morale of employees, as nine in ten of them have indicated that their organizations need to prioritize finding ways to better hold troubling employees more accountable.
The truth is, establishing a culture of accountability is difficult. The secret is having executive and managerial staff set the bar for their employees. Meaning those in power positions in an organization should be more willing to take blame for mistakes and openly communicate about these mistakes more often. After properly communicating, then the problem can be assessed and solved while teaching a valuable lesson for employees and other executives. This is true accountability, and this should be the most valued trait of aspiring employees for the organization; as creating an accountable culture begins the moment an employee is brought on.
It’s also up to the executives and managers of any organization to set forth clear goals of a company and its’ expectations of its’ employees. The sooner these expectations are known, the more likely that employees are able to adapt and fulfill their responsibilities accordingly. In some instances, it may require an overarching understanding of how their roles are incorporated in the overall success of their organization in order to see the best results. This often requires executives and managers to begin these conversations, but they should also foster an open-door type policy in regards to employee communication, specifically regarding questions or concerns.
Crafting a culture of accountability requires open feedback from each level of an organization. Every employee is integral to the success of a company, so they should be valued as such. For more information on perfecting your organization’s workplace culture, be sure to review the accompanying resource. Courtesy of Minute7.
