When Not Delivering . . . Is Not An Option

Whenever you have a Key Expectation in jeopardy of not being met, take immediate action, before it’s too late. Begin by honestly evaluating whether your Key Expectation was effectively established in the first place by applying The Accountability Sequence—Form, Communicate, Align, and Inspect. If you discover that your Key Expectation was not effectively established with certain people along your Expectations Chain (the chain of people, inside and outside the organization, that will impact fulfillment of your Key Expectation), quickly reapply The Accountability Sequence to your Key Expectation.

Form—Key Expectations should always be Framable in the context of what matters most to the organization; Obtainable in light of resources and constraints; Repeatable up, down, and across the Expectations Chain; and Measureable in ways that make it “easy to monitor progress.” Repeatability is the call out here.

Communicate—The “Why,” “What,” and “When” of the Key Expectation must be clearly communicated and completely understood. A Compelling “Why” is the call out here.

Align—Everyone involved along the Expectations Chain must be aligned with the Key Expectation and make sure by asking them to rate their level of alignment on a scale of 1 to 10. Score It is the call out here.

Inspect—Never expect what you don’t inspect, but do it in a way that is agreed upon by everyone involved so that no one gets blind-sided. Mutual Agreement is the call out here.

If you determine that your Key Expectation was, in fact, effectively established, then hold an Accountability Conversation with those people along your Expectations Chain who seem most at risk of not delivering. Use the conversation to determine exactly why they are jeopardizing fulfillment of your Key Expectation—Motivation (willingness), Training (ability), Accountability (follow-through), or Culture (work environment). To learn more about the Accountability Sequence and the Accountability Conversation, we invite you to join the Accountability Community at www.partnersinleadership.com, where you can review actual client case studies.

The Accountability Sequence, Expectations Chain, Accountability Conversation, and Accountability Community are all registered trademarks of Partners In Leadership, Inc.