Sunday
Oct262008
WHO HOLDS YOU ACCOUNTABLE?
Jamie and I did a presentation at the ODNet Conference in Austin, Texas earlier this month, and since we were there, I took the opportunity to pop into a session about employee engagement being presented by our friends and fellow Berrett-Koehler authors Dick and Emily Axelrod.
During the presentation, Dick and Emily asked us to engage in a few mini-conversations with our neighbors. My conversation partner was a young woman who began working as an HR manager eight months ago after earning a master’s degree in Organization Development.
During one of our chats, her question about accountability got my attention.
HER: So what do you think are some really effective ways to hold other people accountable?
ME: I don’t believe you can hold other people accountable. That is one of the big myths in organizations, and this belief that we can ends up wasting a huge amount of time and energy in organizations. People choose whether they're going to be accountable.
HER: But … but we have to be able to hold other people accountable to be effective!
ME: Can I ask who holds you accountable?
HER: Well, my boss holds me accountable. That is part of his job.
ME: So… if you didn’t have a boss watching you to make sure you did good work, you wouldn’t? You’d just show up and do the bare minimum in order to collect a paycheck?
HER: Of course not! I’m really committed to doing a good job! I take a lot of pride in the quality of my work.
ME: Then who is really in charge of your accountability?
During the presentation, Dick and Emily asked us to engage in a few mini-conversations with our neighbors. My conversation partner was a young woman who began working as an HR manager eight months ago after earning a master’s degree in Organization Development.
During one of our chats, her question about accountability got my attention.
HER: So what do you think are some really effective ways to hold other people accountable?
ME: I don’t believe you can hold other people accountable. That is one of the big myths in organizations, and this belief that we can ends up wasting a huge amount of time and energy in organizations. People choose whether they're going to be accountable.
HER: But … but we have to be able to hold other people accountable to be effective!
ME: Can I ask who holds you accountable?
HER: Well, my boss holds me accountable. That is part of his job.
ME: So… if you didn’t have a boss watching you to make sure you did good work, you wouldn’t? You’d just show up and do the bare minimum in order to collect a paycheck?
HER: Of course not! I’m really committed to doing a good job! I take a lot of pride in the quality of my work.
ME: Then who is really in charge of your accountability?
maren
Reader Comments