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Today's Employees Hold Leaders More Accountable

Guest post by: Dr. Rick Johnson

Article Overview: Times have changed, leadership has evolved. The days of the "Lone Wolf" leader at the top who dominates with power are gone. Successful privately held organizations have gone through the leadership evolutionary process. They understand that today's leader must create change in the organization to meet the needs of their customers, to meet the needs of their vendors and most importantly to meet the needs of their employees. Today employees hold leaders more accountable for their actions. They ask tough questions; sometimes very quietly, sometimes boldly. They want to know where you are leading them. Do you have a vision? Can they trust you? Do you respect and trust them? Will you empower them? As a leader in your organization you are held accountable by a variety of people on a regular basis.

Today's Employees Hold Leaders More Accountable



Times have changed since I got my first promotion to supervisor back in the seventies. Back then the autocratic style of leadership was more common. Being a "BOSS" meant your main priority was making sure people did their job no matter what. That doesn't mean that good leaders didn't exist. There were leaders that believed in the servant style and put employees first. However, that type of leadership model was not as prevalent as it is today. It certainly wasn't the style of leadership that was taught. In fact, most of the training I received, including academics, was more focused on being a good manager.Today it is understood that there is a distinct difference between leadership and management.

Accountability

Today employees hold leaders more accountable for their actions. They ask tough questions; sometimes very quietly, sometimes boldly. They want to know where you are leading them. Do you have a vision? Can they trust you? Do you respect and trust them? Will you empower them?

As a leader in your organization you are held accountable by a variety of people on a regular basis.

• You are expected to be informed and understand market dynamics

• You are expected to help establish goals and objectives

• You are expected to provide adequate resources

• You are expected to help remove any obstacles that may prevent employees form achieving their objectives

• You are expected to be both a coach and a mentor

• You are expected to have a vision of success for the company or just your department if you are not high up on the organization chart

• You are expected to communicate well and have good listening skills

• You are expected to put the employees first and treat them as your most precious asset

• You are expected to lead in a crisis and role up your sleeves and not be afraid to get your hands dirty

• You are expected to ask and not demand

Times have changed, leadership has evolved. The days of the "Lone Wolf" leader at the top who dominates with power are gone. Successful privately held organizations have gone through the leadership evolutionary process. They understand that today's leader must create change in the organization to meet the needs of their customers, to meet the needs of their vendors and most importantly to meet the needs of their employees.

Walk the Walk

We all "Talk the Talk". We understand that we must introduce accountability into the organization if we have any hope of achieving our objectives. Yet, many companies struggle, some unknowingly, with this concept for many different reasons. Long term employees can become complacent, competencies can be limited, a free pass is sometimes given for a variety of reasons and the "Peter Principle" is still alive and in existence today; Promoting people beyond their ability to perform. That's not to say that many employees, often the majority, understand the concept and want to be held accountable; But, what about those that don't? And what about accountability on the part of leadership?

Here are some simple concepts that may help you "Walk the Walk".

• Make sure you have clearly defined job descriptions and put performance expectations in writing with measurable goals.

• Demand that every supervisor invest a minimum of thirty minutes a month discussing job performance with every one of their direct reports. Record this informal discussion on a 4 X 6 card and put it in a file. When it comes time for the annual performance review, you now have eleven documented informal performance discussions to guide you in completing the formal annual review. If you don't do this, burn your annual reviews. They are worthless.

• Do not accept incompetence, don't give free passes. It can become cancerous and effect the entire organization.

• Practice and train supervisors on coaching and mentoring. Document all performance discussions. When an employee is struggling, do everything in your power to help them including additional or remedial training. Don't neglect using probationary status as a tool to make sure the employee knows you are serious and provides an opportunity for them to turn things around but with a time line of patience defined.

• Make sure you have a good new employee orientation program. Consider having a new employee sponsor for each new employee for a 60 to 90 day period. Compensate this champion.

• As a leader you must not only understand that you are being held accountable you must embrace the concept of employees holding you accountable.

• As a leader, you must demonstrate by example a low tolerance for mediocrity.

Employees want to take pride in their leaders. They are eager to give their trust, but demonstrating the kind of leadership character that deserves that trust cannot be over-emphasized. Don't let your employees down. They will hold you accountable. Character is built around a true concern for the people within the organization. It is based on fairness and consistency.

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Article Tags: change, executive, leadership, organizational development



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