Talking Vs. Walking
Article | Accountability Insights
The following complaints may signal that you have an accountability crisis. When was the last time you heard someone in your organization say one of the following (or something similar)?
| • | “Nobody does what they say they’ll do.” | |
| • | “People promise me a response by the end of the day, and I get nothing, not even a heads up.” | |
| • | “The number of meetings after the meetings in this organization is out of control.” | |
| • | “Our numbers are not materializing for the quarter, but I’m not going to be the one to raise it.” | |
| • | ““Every time (individual or group) sets a deadline, they miss it. We can’t depend on anything around here.” | |
| • | “We talk and talk about the same old issues, but nothing changes. We never get around to making it happen.” |
Organizations that do not address such signals of an accountability crisis pay a high price for their inattention: unmet expectations and undelivered results throughout the organization. Only when leaders and organizations are serious about creating a Culture of Accountability can they permanently move from “talking about it” to “doing something about it.”
Three core values reside at the heart of every Culture of Accountability: Follow Through, Get Real, and Speak Up. Follow Through means “doing what you say you will do,” Get Real means “getting to the truth,” and Speak Up means “saying what needs to be said.” A complete and constant focus on these three values allows people to hold others accountable for results in a positive, principled way—making it possible for them to take accountability, fulfill expectations, and deliver results. When this happens, saying and doing become one and the same.
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