Today we’re going to be talking about a number of tips that can enhance accountability in your business. Accountability is centered around ownership and initiative. Accountability in a business means that employees are responsible for their actions, behaviours, and performance, and managers or will address unmet targets with individuals.
In order to enhance accountability in a business, there needs to be a caring culture where staff feel comfortable to speak up and take ownership of a decision.
There are a variety of reasons why an employee may be struggling to hit deadlines and meet targets, both from an internal and external perspective:
- Extra training is needed
- There’s a technical issue
- Unclear instructions from supervisor
- A personal issue is seeping into work
- Conflicting priorities
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A lack of accountability in a business sends a message to the rest of your staff that lower standards are OK.
Moreover, if a manager or supervisor doesn’t address the problem employee, the team may perceive it as favoritism, or begin resenting the employee as they have to pick up their slack.
To make a real difference in your business, you need to be the role model for accountability and nurture a caring mindset across your whole business. Here are 5 tips on how to enhance accountability in your business:
Tips To Enhance Accountability in Your Business
- Lead by example and hold yourself accountable first: Leaders who practice the principles they want their employees to follow will create the culture they want within their business.
- Focus on the performance, not the person: You need to figure out the why behind the employee’s poor performance. Objective criteria, tied to business performance, are an optimal way to determine the performance of your staff. Try writing out some SMART goals to define the performance:
S – Specific: Does the employee have clearly defined deliverables to work towards?
M – Measurable: How will your employee identify and measure progress towards this goal?
A – Attainable: Is this goal realistic to achieve with the resources and time the employee has been given?
R – Relevant: Does the goal align with the wider purpose and values of your organisation, as well as the employee’s role within the company?
T – Timely: Have you set a timeframe within which the goal should be achieved
- Promote direct and open communication between employees: A team’s ability to be straightforward with one another suffers when people don’t trust they will be treated fairly.
- Listen and provide empathy: Concentrate on maintaining the employee’s self-esteem by showing concern for the individual as well as for the company’s needs. Also, praise them when you find them doing things right. Nothing encourages great work like focusing on the positive.
- Set the standards high for the whole team: Create an encouraging environment and hold staff accountable for their wins, and they will be more inclined to accept and reflect on their losses.
Ultimately, when team members consistently demonstrate ownership and accountability, trust is formed, and trust is the backbone of high-performing businesses.
Implementing these strategies into your business model will create a more open culture, enhance accountability and improve employee performance.
