Got Accountability?

  Communications Management   Leadership   ProjectsAtWork  

Do you have an accountability problem at on your project? First, you need to forestall excuse-generating problems upfront by creating conditions that make it more likely people will follow through. Then you need to help and encourage people to take responsibility after mistakes have already been made — without making them feel worse than they already do.

In a companion piece to this article — “Ticket to Slide” (Sept. 30) — the author outlined several of the negative consequences of not holding people accountable as well as the assumptions and misunderstandings that contribute to this dereliction of duty.

Here, excerpted from his book Closing the Execution Gap, are some helpful before-and-after suggestions for boosting accountability. They can help keep you, your team, and your projects on track. 

Before-the-Fact: Set People Up for Success

The best way to manage accountability is to ensure that people follow through in the first place. Three techniques can help you dramatically increase the chances that people will follow through and keep their commitments: 1) clarifying actions and expectations, 2) agreeing on due dates for deliverables, and 3) establishing checkpoints. The acronym ATC can help you remember the techniques.

Action. This is the starting point for both setting people up for success …

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