Accountability, Anaconda Style

Leading by Leaning or… Accountability, Anaconda Style

“Watch out guys, here comes the boss. Look busy.”

Unfortunately, the above is a common statement in many businesses and if you are not sure what this is a sign of, let me tell you. It is the sign of failed corporate culture, bad management, missing accountability and a tangible symptom that a cancer has taken root in your organization.

How little can you do while getting a paycheck or even getting promoted has become synonymous with business in today’s marketplace? It is by many if not most HR surveys the operating standard of today’s business climate.

To force the point, a recent infographic published by SocialCast© detailed that out of 42,000 employees who were surveyed, 49% were disengaged from their jobs, while another 18% were actively disengaged from their jobs and proactively engaged in harming their employers while picking up a paycheck. This means that 67% of the entire workforce is disengaged or worse. Holy crap, this is bad.

What has allowed this cancer to grow and in fact escalate within many businesses? Well, as usual I have a few rather pointed thoughts…

1. Missing or failed accountability, resulting in…
2. Failed executive leadership, resulting in…
3. Failed management, resulting in…
4. Failed supervision, resulting in…
5. A failed business

Somewhere along the professionalism timeline it became a bad thing to be great at what you do. “Fear of failure” became rooted, accountability was used and abused to define what had not been done instead of measuring and rewarding what had been done.

Think about your own workplace, how effective are your metrics?

• Are they well-defined?
• Are they public?
• Are they shared in real-time?
• Are they a source of pride?
• Are they a source of reward?
• Are they a source of team dynamics that culls non-performers, prior to even becoming a management issue?
• Is your team striving under their own self management to excel past all benchmarks and in fact redefine the metrics of your organization, if not your industry?

If your answer to any of the above in “no” then you have some excellent improvement opportunities ahead of you.

Long story short, in business excellence is gained by setting and striving towards demanding benchmarks, developing methods and sound practices, and holding to them. Solid metrics and accountability will then come into play.

How is this achieved? Just like the anaconda, you sink your teeth into your prey (goals and objectives,) wrap yourself around it (your methods,) and never let go or back off. You see, most people think that the anaconda crushes its prey, but what it really does is constrict just enough that the prey can exhale, but not inhale, causing the prey to succumb by suffocation. A masterful balance of expended energy, for maximum return.

Your choice as the anaconda wraps you up in his way of doing things (his culture,) is to escape or to let the unrelenting nature of the anaconda’s process take place.

So, if accountability is your anaconda, then the same process takes place. We select our goals and objectives, engage our methods/culture and hold to them with solid resolve until measurable results are achieved.

Accountability defines and measures true success, as real performers are attracted to accountability. Likewise, it repels poor performers as all they see is the stare of the accountability anaconda, now looking hungrily at them to perform or perish.

Thanks for reading,

Gerry L. Wiebe Founder | President