Accountability

Driving a culture of accountability where employees are engaged and committed to the organization’s key objectives will positively impact the team’s performance.

As a new supervisor, it is your responsibility to build accountability by setting performance expectations, monitoring performance, and providing timely, ongoing feedback and coaching regarding expectations and KPIs.

Building a culture of accountability not only helps achieve goals, but also results in increased employee performance. Supervisors should focus their daily efforts on the following five steps:

Set Performance Expectations

Be clear about what you expect
Define target results
Set timeline
Gain commitment

Provide Coaching

Focus on current/upcoming work
Discuss successes
Discuss obstacles
Identify ways you can provide support

Provide Feedback

Utilize positive feedback to recognize success
Provide corrective feedback to prevent reoccurrance of inconsistent performance

Set Time for Team Check-ins

Remember the golden rule of management: what gets measured gets managed (what gets inspected gets respected). Your follow-up regarding expectations and commitments is just another way to measure progress. Check-ins keep both you and your team on track.

Consider asking the following questions:

How do you think you are doing this year?
In what areas are you doing well?
What development areas are you focusing on?
What is holding you back from accomplishing your goals?
Are you clear on your role and what you should be working on?
What do you think could be going better for the team?

Address Misalignments of Expectations and Performance

Team members exhibiting poor performance and general lack of motivation can affect the entire team. Discuss when actual performance is not meeting the expectations set. Take appropriate action to address low-performing team members who are unwilling or unable to execute job responsibilities. Consult with your local HR department on strategies for managing low-performing team members.

Following these five simple steps can also help you build accountability on your team. An additional factor in building accountability includes recognizing employees who achieve their goals. Take time to recognize great work, show your appreciation with a thank you.

Consider

Consider the following three questions to help build accountability in your team:

1 What would it look like to have more accountability on my team?

2 How do I drive accountability on my team?

3 What are my obstacles to driving accountability?

Accountability in the Field

Many supervisors and employees struggle with accountability when expectations may vary from one supervisor to another. It is important for supervisors to communicate with one another to ensure alignment of expectations. This ensures that no matter who the supervisor is on shift, everyone is held to the same standards at any given day or time.

Valero Culture