One of the most elusive concepts in management is accountability. In leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions within the scope of a role or position, encompassing the obligation to report, and be answerable for resulting consequences.
So what does this really mean? A senior manager cannot delegate responsibility, he can only delegate authority to a subordinate and then hold that subordinate accountable for due performance. One of the biggest mistakes managers can make is to continuously frustrate their employees by not holding them accountable. Click here for more information on Accountants in Sheffield.
Believe it or not, it can frustrate your employees as much as it does you. Accountability is the key to achieving results and helping identify the opportunities in your organization. Holding employees accountable helps them to know the satisfaction of achieving a goal and performing to a standard.
There are five basic requirements for creating accountability. It’s good to ensure you have:
- Understood Objectives – the subordinate should understand what the they and their workforce try to achieve;
- Purchase in – subordinates should imagine in the goal and be part of the success;
- Benchmarks and a Quantifiable Outcome – subordinates need milestones and a consequence that may be measured;
- Two-way Suggestions – feedback from the supervisor to the subordinate and from the subordinate to the supervisor;
- Evaluation – once a objective is achieved, rejoice the success. Conversely, don’t shy away from criticism if efficiency falls short.
To be successful, the manager should also hold himself accountable to following through with accountability. One of many largest failures is to begin the process and never comply with by means of with it. This causes the subordinate to lose respect for the process and to query a supervisor’s commitment, which may undermine your complete organization. Once accountability turns into a part of your management model, you will see improved results and extra happy employees.
