Tips for Increasing Accountability

Holding people accountable for their results/outcomes/performance is a common challenge for all managers. So a question recently came up: "How can I tighten accountability? When you are coaching to increase employee performance/potential here are a few tips:

• Always set clear expectations
• Gain agreement when setting action items
• If a situation/issue arises follow-up the same day or within 24 hours. Don't lump this discussion with any other discussion or previously planned follow-up out of convenience-it dilutes the importance of the issue/situation and it decreases accountability
• Be specific when setting follow-up dates to discuss progress on action items