Make Your Team Accountable

Nobody has to tell you, creating an atmosphere of employee accountability can be difficult! You have to set clear performance expectations … deliver constant feedback … and have a strategy for follow-through when employees aren’t meeting the mark. And you have to do it all without coming off as the bad guy! Fortunately, these techniques will not only make you a stronger, more effective manager, but they’ll also turn employee accountability into a positive for everyone on the team!

Employee accountability does more than improve workplace productivity. It improves the quality of work, and it creates a more positive work environment. When employees know that they’re accountable for what they do, and how well they do it, they know they’re in control of their own success. And that doesn’t make them just work harder, it actually boosts their morale and their opinion of you as a supervisor!

One of the first considerations in accountability is to clearly define the required behaviors and expectations. Clearly defined standards allow you to measure performance. With these definitions in place, managers can be clear in messaging, consistent in expectations, and reasonable in the enforcement of noncompliance.

Monitor goals    

It is always important to monitor progress toward goals. Consider openly posting and sharing all employees’ goals and progress toward those goals. This allows employees to understand how they compare to peers. It can show the team who the leaders are, which can provide guidance and may motivate those who
lag in productivity. Make it a part of orientation for all new employees to learn the organization’s goals, the department’s, and how they as individuals contribute to the goal attainment on a daily basis.

Fix Your Office     

The physical environment is the setting where the team works or meets. a positive physical climate includes:
• Adequate space for all members
• Tables and chairs arranged so people can see one another for direct, open discussion
• Comfortable room temperature so members stay alert
• Adequate lighting for seeing people and using resources
• Limited noise and distraction

Focus on Team     

The social environment has to do with how people relate to one another. It affects their emotions. establish a positive social environment by:
• Getting to know one another
• Asking all members for their opinions and suggestions
• Defining team goals and what part each person contributes
• Orienting new members so they can become contributing members quickly
• Discarding unnecessary activity

Foster Trust  

Trust among members is essential for teams to work effectively. Little is accomplished in a group until individuals trust one another. The result of a trusting and cooperative atmosphere is member satisfaction and maximum group productivity — including collaboration. Little happens in a group situation until the individuals learn to trust one another. Because of this, forming a climate of trust is one of the most important tasks a team can accomplish.

Trust Among Colleagues Is:
1. Expressing feelings, emotions, and reactions with the confidence of knowing they will be respected and that you will not be taken advantage of
2. Placing confidence in others so they will be supportive, even when they know your weaknesses
3. Assuming that other people will not intentionally hurt you
4. The sense that things are fine and nothing can disrupt the positive workflow and communication
5. Mutual respect
6. Open and honest communication, including fears and concerns
7. Assistance offered freely
8. Knowing that a mistake or opinion will not lead to being ostracized
9.The ability to be vulnerable and be confident that others will treat you in a fair, open, and honest way

When you create accountability, you gain employee buy-in, increase performance expectations, and effectively deliver critical feedback. And, most important of all, you develop a clear plan for the steps to take not only when employees succeed, but when they don’t! A plan you feel comfortable, and confident, sticking to!