When accountability fails, there are some standard reasons given. Last week we talked about how robust planning upfront helps a team get beyond the “circumstances have changed” reason. If people are using the “I didn’t understand,” “I didn’t agree,” “We have too much on our plate,” “Someone else we rely upon didn’t deliver” reasons, it’s usually because the decision- making process was sloppy and rushed upfront.
In other columns we have described the importance of the Leadership Framework. This tool focuses a team’s attention on goal-setting, clear and explicit decisions about who is going to do what and how work should be organized to achieve agreed-upon goals, and the establishment of a framework of metrics that allows the team to track progress. The Leadership Framework is a tool that helps us achieve clarity of purpose and alignment around who does what and how we will measure ourselves. Clarity and alignment are vital to establishing accountability – as well as to re-establishing accountability when someone drops the ball.