Page 4 - The Right Way to Hold People Accountable

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5. Clear consequences. If you’ve been clear in all of the above ways, you can be reasonably sure that
you did what’s necessary to support their performance. At this point, you have three choices:
repeat, reward, or release. Repeat the steps above if you feel that there is still a lack of clarity in the
system. If the person succeeded, you should reward them appropriately (acknowledgement,
promotion, etc.). If they have not proven accountable and you are reasonably certain that you
followed the steps above, then they are not a good t for the role, and you should release them
from it (change roles, re them, etc.).

These are the building blocks for a culture of accountability. The magic is in the way they work
together as a system. If you miss any one, accountability will fall through that gap.

I’ve found that it’s useful to make this list public and to discuss it with the people you’re asking to be
accountable before there’s a specic project on the line.

When I explained all of this to John, it was easy for him to identify the gaps in his communication
with Jeanine. His expectations were clear, but her capability was lacking, which they had never
addressed. Once they’d spoken about the gap, he could support her development with coaching
while also reviewing her milestones more frequently. That gave him the data he needed to give her
clear and timely feedback.

Remember the question we started with, the one that plagues so many leaders: “How do I get my
people to be more accountable for results?”

Now there’s an answer: It depends. Which of the ve areas have you neglected?

*Names have been changed.

Peter Bregman is CEO of Bregman Partners, a company that helps senior leaders create accountability and inspire
collective action on their organization’s most important work. Best-selling author of 18 Minutes, his forthcoming book
is Leading with Emotional Courage. He is also the host of the Bregman Leadership Podcast. To receive an email when he
posts, click here.

This document is authorized for use only by Julie Dietert (jdietert@texasmutual.com). Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Please contact customerservice@harvardbusiness.org
or 800-988-0886 for additional copies.

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