Accountability
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Thank you, Dustin Dale
"The reward is always found in the hardest work you avoid." -Alex Hormozi.
During my years leading organizations and coaching leaders, I noticed a specific trend in the vastly different workforce dynamics: accountability was an idea, not an action.
Most leaders can express the idea of accountability and have a superb conversation about the concept, but when it comes time to implement the idea...
Well, there just wasn't much there.
I can also state that most were not purposely choosing to ignore it—they just lacked an understanding of the implementation and how to create effective accountability.
We have been programmed (trained) to live by this model our entire lives, yet many struggle to grasp it.
When you were a kid and talked in class when you shouldn't, the teacher would call you out or give you detention.
If you were to go out to dinner and not pay the bill at the end, that would be considered stealing, and there are consequences.
When you were a kid and brought home straight A's, there might have been a reward such as a dollar per A (I'm probably dating myself with that dollar amount), but nonetheless, there was accountability.
The opposite would also happen if you brought home a bad report card- grounded or the car taken away for the weekend.
Or, to make it modern... the internet could be turned off in the home.
So, either way, we look at it, we have been programmed to live by "accountability" for our choices and decisions.
But what happens when a leader or an organization struggles to create effective accountability or empower the individuals in the organization to problem-solve quickly?
Transparently, you get a divide: high performers. Meh performers. Low performers.
This divide happens because of issues, problems, or situations that are not resolved quickly.
This is where my 72-hour rule is a game-changer for organizations!
What is the 72-hour rule?
It is one of the best ways to implement accountability, shift mindsets, and develop stronger employees/leaders to become self-sufficient.
When a problem is identified and brought to the surface, a timer needs to be set to solve it with the right resources in a timely manner.
Specific Example.
Bob and Susan do not get along well as project team members. They collaborate on all projects and often have very different ways of expressing themselves during team meetings. However, their snarky remarks are getting worse, and now it has come to your attention that they are bashing one another at other employees. Other teammates want to transfer because of the drama.
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Could you insert the 72-hour rule?
You (the leader) should focus on resolving this issue within the 72-hour.
Step 1. Approach Bob and Susan separately and schedule an emergency session. During this session, you will ask each of them to state their side and explain why they feel they are in the right. Not to bash the other person but rather defend why they feel so strongly about their thinking.
Step 2. Bring them together and ask each person to give their 1 or 2 legitimate facts about why (they) should approach the work differently. You allow discussion and mediate the conversation, reminding them to focus on facts, not personal attacks.
Step 3. During the session, have both parties write their top (5) solutions to solve the problem or problems and then compare the notes side by side. Ask Bob to pick one of Susan's solutions that he likes the best and then the opposite.
Step 4. Create the solution (accountability) from the solutions that both provided. During the meeting, you (the leader) stressed the importance of moving forward toward solutions, not problem-makers.
You set a very clear understanding that revisiting this drama issue will lead to different conversations if two grown adults cannot function and work together in a positive environment.
All of this occurs in 72 hours or as soon as possible if there are schedule issues.
Now, why did I choose this specific example?
Returning to coaching leaders and organizations, personnel issues need to be resolved faster and are allowed to go on for far too long.
They can be hard to solve and are normally never fun, but most of all, they are avoided because of time.
So, the "reward" is in the hard work we avoid.
The "reward" is setting a personal commitment in your organization when problems arise, and challenges happen. We (leaders/organization) are committed to resolving these situations in 72-hour (when possible).
When a team can adopt this mindset and create positive accountability then the organization can progress much faster.
It's not easy and will be clunky at first- there will be failures but giving up on the behavior change too soon is truly the only failure!
Are you focused on taking your leadership development to the next level?
Also, don't miss out on grabbing your copies of Dustin's bestselling leadership series of books and the brand-new workbook!
Book Links:
Learn to Lead by Serving: https://a.co/d/dsgJQFj
Learn to Lead by Serving 2: https://a.co/d/isIeTRR
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