As an upper level manager or perhaps a business owner or CEO, do you ever have any concerns about how your employees interact with your customers? Do you ever wonder if they are following the rules and guidelines or if they are taking shortcuts to make their life easier when supervisors aren’t around? Do you wonder if they try to maximize their productivity or to keep that difficult customer happy? If you do, you don’t have a culture of accountability within your business.
When a business has a strong culture of accountability you don’t have to worry about what people are doing at work. This is because the employees, at all levels, have a true vested interest in the success of the company. They know that doing a great job and going that extra mile for the customer has a direct positive reflection on the company, and they also feel a part of that.
Why it Matters
The reason having employees and managers truly embody a culture of accountability in a business really comes down to profits and losses. Companies that don’t have this culture tend to have high staff turnover, meaning constant requirement for employee training.
In addition when there isn’t a culture of accountability productivity drops and people tend to look for ways to do as little as possible rather than to maximize their effort. After all, if they don’t feel accountable to the company there is little incentive to really do anything beyond the bare minimum.
Building a Culture of Accountability
A culture of accountability doesn’t happen by accident in any company or business. It is a strategically developed plan that starts at the top levels of the organization and is in place down to the newest hire.
At professional development events training, games and team building exercises are used to keep reinforcing the concept. Employees become valued assets in the company and understand the goals and plans for the company and how they are helping to move towards those goals.
Finally a culture of accountability provides the opportunity for lots of feedback on many different levels. By talking to employees openly, honestly and consistently about what your expectations are, and modeling those expectations, you can create this type of culture in any workplace.
