As usual, I attended this weeks #careerchat, held each week via Twitter at 1pm EDT/10am PDT. Today’s topic was accountability and here is some of what I had to say. I join #careerchat under my @careertips Twitter account.
Follow @careertips on Twitter.
- #CareerChat today at 1EDT/10 PDT. Join in via Tweetchat.com.
- What is accountability?
- Taking responsibility for your action and work and being held responsible for the work you are assigned.
- You also need to hold yourself responsible for your actions, your goals, you achievements and your behavior
- Additionally, accountability also means doing what is best for YOUR career, not just your job.
- Your job description merely describes the minimums of your responsibility
- You have to go well beyond these minimums to thrive and grow in your career
- In some cases, blame DOES need to be assigned as this person is accountable for the poor work/no work they do.
- Admit mistakes AND repair mistakes. Also very important
- Accountability must be equally applied throughout company structure. People inherently sense unfairness when not.
- Remember that being a team player only works if the other members of your team believe it too. Don’t be a doormat/fall guy.
- Setting clear/agreed upon goals and holding workers (and managers) to them.
- I find using tech tools to monitor/update/manage status to be highly preferable to F-2-F mtings. More productive
- Everyone should be able to see status of any project at a glance.
- Simple rule for accountability is: Do what you say you will, when you say you will or renegotiate the agreement.
- Most F-2-F meeting s devolve into any number of useless endeavors. Also status out of date when mtg is over
- What in status? Whatever it takes to be clear — a combination of all types of status
- Projects often come off the rails, because someone isn’t performing and no one knows until too late
- The problem being that not everyone understands professionalism. You will always find those people in every company
- Goals are useful yes, but sometimes we all need to ask WHY a project is moving forward. Good goals on bad project go nowhere.
- Excuses for ducking accountability: I didn’t know. It was THEIR fault. No one told me. It’s not my job.
- Accountability for something, without being given responsibility (or power) to manage it is one of most frustrating work experience.
- No follow through on projects can also point out the perhaps project wasn’t that important and shouldn’t have been pursued at all
- Unfinished projects are a complete waste and employees recognize it as such. Enough such projects and employees go elsewhere
- People want to see their work implemented and respected. Dead end projects provide neither. Horrible moral killer
- Great book on meetings – “Read before out next meeting” –http://amzn.to/pErHEO
- There will always be those who try to avoid responsibility. Identify and avoid them at all costs.
