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A Culture of Accountability,
by Timothy Schneider, Publisher, Association News
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Los
Angeles, CA – March 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / In business, as with life,
it’s often the little things that count the most. Taking care of the little
things can allow you to achieve great success. Ignoring them can hold you
back. Taking shortcuts can cause cracks in the foundation of your organization.
The key to sealing those cracks is accountability.
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 Being
accountable means answering for the results of your actions, whether they
are positive or negative. In their new book, “Culture Without Accountability:
WTF? (What’s the Fix?),” business consultants Julie Miller and Brian Bedford
cite several ways to begin establishing an accountable mindset at all levels
of your organization. Not surprisingly, Miller and Bedford suggest accountability
should start at the top.
Hold
yourself accountable. As the leader of your association, it is imperative
that you hold yourself to the same standards of accountability that you
expect the rest of your staff to adhere to. That means organizational processes
must be followed by you first. If others see a lax attitude at the top,
or worse, hypocrisy in your administration of policies and procedures,
the air of accountability in your organization will diminish. “A rule applies
to everyone or it applies to no one,” says Miller. “As a leader, you must
be keenly aware that everyone is watching you, and everything starts at
the top.”
Spell
out expectations to the letter. As with most organization-wide endeavors,
ensuring accountability begins with communication. In this case, it means
going into detail about what is expected of yourself and each member of
your staff and putting those things in writing. This sets clear expectations
and sets a precedent for future dialogue when adjustments to policies and
procedures need to be made.
Know
when to nourish your employees. Accountability shouldn’t be considered
a synonym for admonishment. It’s true that as a leader there are certain
times when a difficult conversation is necessary to show an employee how
they’ve failed to meet your association’s standards. However, it’s just
as important to acknowledge positives as well. “You have to tell your employees
the truth,” says Bedford. “You can’t do this without having conversations
with people about what they are doing well and where they need to improve.
This is where the accountability process breaks down most often.”
Hone
the art of instant feedback. Immediacy is crucial for sustaining accountability.
The whole point is to accept the consequences of your actions and to understand
how they affect the organization as a whole. Quickly recognizing both missteps
and positive actions is vital. And, again, accountability is not the result
of admonishment alone. “Leaders should share impressions as soon as they
see behavior they would like to encourage or discourage,” says Miller.
“Make sure feedback is specific, focusing on the particular issue or behavior
in question.”
For
more information or to order “Culture
Without Accountability,” please visit the Association News bookstore
at AssociationNews.com.
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 Timothy
Schneider is the publisher of Association
News and SportsTravel
magazines, which serve group travel planners responsible for generating
106 million hotel room nights annually. Schneider
Publishing also organizes Meetings
Quest, America's longest-running series of trade shows for meeting
planners, and the TEAMS Conference
& Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers.
TEAMS '14 is being held in Las Vegas, November 10-13, 2014. For further
information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free
877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if calling from outside the United States.
The
current issue of Association
News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking
here.
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Media
Contact:
Timothy
Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider
Publishing Company, Inc. |
