Accountability is Critical to Business Success.

The reasons are varied and plentiful as to why it is often missing, however accountability is absolutely critical to business success. You’re probably thinking, “We hold our people accountable”, and that may be true, but the lack of accountability is a major culprit in the effective execution of business plans for many organizations. When we are asked to assist with the development and execution of a successful strategy, the first question I ask is “Can I see your plan from last year?”

If it exists in writing (often it is implied or floating around in the heads of a few executives), typically it is pulled from the shelf, is dusty, and has not been reviewed since it was created a year ago. It could be the best strategic plan ever created but there was no opportunity for the leadership team to hold each other accountable to the results. Need I say more?

Holding individual employees accountable is something else but just a critical since it cuts across every aspect of your business and provides multiple points of failure. Leadership strength (and that is all leaders in your company) makes the difference here.

Every single employee in your organization should have a very clear understanding of what is expected of them regarding their performance. Using your own cultural language, delineate the difference between A, B, and C level performance. Some A-performers can be groomed for leadership. The B-performers are great targets for coaching opportunities – moving them to the A-level. The C-performers need to be dealt with quickly and concisely as they are your obvious points of failure. The options are simple, improvement to an acceptable level or they must go. For some of you, this is a difficult concept, but ask yourself “What is best for business?” The risks are too high.