A culture of accountability: Our businesses need it.
We set ambitious goals and track the numbers, but still fall short. The gap between setting a target and achieving it is often a lack of real accountability. Simply having goals isn’t enough. You need a culture that fuels momentum.
Discover why it is important to go beyond static metrics and build a team that owns its results in our latest article.
I came across a post today that made me stop in my tracks. Culture beats strategy every time. As someone who advocated for both, it was a landing I needed after pulling out all the stops this week to deliver quality outputs.
But I needed my team to pull together to be able to do it; we used our unique set of cultural ingredients of drive, accountability and respect for our client’s goals as well as our own to get the job done.
Surprisingly, once these culture drivers are embedded in your work ethos, work becomes less of a job and much more about passion and commitment. The job almost becomes effortless.
But that’s enough on that topic for now.
For this week’s blog, I looked to see what other resources affirmed the thinking of the Goldours’ accountability culture, and it being instrumental in delivering quality results.
It didn’t take long. Some of you are familiar with Betterworks. For those who aren’t, it is an enterprise-grade performance management software platform.
Their 2023 State of Performance Enablement report points to “employee engagement and productivity soar when accountability is embedded within workplace systems. Employees who receive fair and unbiased performance management processes can accept criticism and apply what they’ve learned”.
But there is a powerful knock-on benefit for a team. Accountability builds trust within teams, as we rely on and trust each other to deliver the results so that we reach the end goal.
Betterworks says accountability also helps motivate the workforce. Employees who are held accountable are more likely to take ownership of their work. And the results - increased job satisfaction, higher morale, and improved team performance.
Experts like Betterworks also point to healthy accountability, creating an environment where mistakes are opportunities for growth and learning, rather than failures to be punished. And that has to be good for everyone.
The cultural environment for accountability is also evidenced by:
· An environment where team members can honestly and openly discuss progress, challenges, and mistakes without fear of shame
· Members rely on each other's strengths and provide mutual support to overcome obstacles
· Team members address accountability issues directly and constructively with each other.
And the benefits? Five benefits are highlighted: High performance, boosts morale and commitment, fosters trust, improves problem-solving and supports development.
For this week’s blog, I have taken a slightly more conversational approach. Please let me know what you think of the approach and what value you found in this edition. I am interested.
Have a good week!
