MBA2347 Q&A Wednesday: How do I get better at holding my team accountable?

Wed Aug 09 2023

Accountability is a crucial aspect of any successful team. As a leader, it's important to set expectations and ensure that your team members are meeting them.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The $100 MBA Show – Episode MBA2347 Q&A Wednesday: How do I get better at holding my team accountable?

Introduction

In Episode MBA2347 of The $100 MBA Show, host Omar Zenhom addresses a crucial aspect of effective team management: holding team members accountable. Released on August 9, 2023, this episode delves into strategies and best practices for fostering accountability without veering into micromanagement. Drawing from his extensive entrepreneurial experience, Omar provides actionable insights tailored for business owners and managers striving to enhance team performance and maintain a productive work environment.

Listener's Question

The episode centers around a listener named Gary's query:

Gary asks: "How do I get better at holding my team accountable? Most of my team members are great and do what they're supposed to do, but some are falling behind. Don't hit deadlines or just simply space out. How do I hold team members like that accountable? I don't want to feel like I'm micromanaging, but at the same time, I don't want to let it slide."

Understanding Accountability in Management

Omar begins by emphasizing the transition from solo entrepreneurship to team management:

Omar Zenhom [01:25]: "As a founder of a business, as you start hiring people, this is a skill you're going to need to build to hold people accountable. Because when you're doing everything yourself in the beginning, you hold yourself accountable, right?"

He highlights that accountability should be viewed as a coaching mechanism rather than a punitive measure. The goal is to guide team members towards continuous improvement, aligning their performance with the company's objectives.

Setting Clear Expectations

One of the foundational steps Omar recommends is establishing clear expectations from the outset:

Omar Zenhom [02:10]: "When I hire somebody, I let them know that as a part of our team, you will be coached. You need to buy into the fact that I'm going to try to make you better and better as a professional."

By clearly communicating the coaching and accountability framework during the hiring process, managers can ensure that team members understand the performance standards and the support they will receive to meet them.

Proactive Coaching and Immediate Action

Omar stresses the importance of addressing performance issues promptly to prevent them from escalating:

Omar Zenhom [03:15]: "Having said that, every time you feel like somebody is not doing their job properly ... you should see this as a teaching moment, as a coaching moment, a chance to talk to them. It's an opportunity, and you don't want to waste this opportunity, and you don't want to let it slide."

He shares a practical example from his own experience, where a team member's tardiness was addressed during a meeting without singling them out, reinforcing team-wide standards in a non-confrontational manner.

One-on-One Accountability Conversations

For more sensitive or recurring issues, Omar recommends private discussions:

Omar Zenhom [04:20]: "Sometimes you're gonna have to take a teaching moment or a chance to hold somebody accountable one on one, privately. ... I like to do a praise sandwich, which means, you know, you say something positive or you say, hey, you did this right? ... but then I say, this is where you need to improve."

The "praise sandwich" technique involves starting with positive feedback, addressing the area needing improvement, and concluding with encouragement. This approach maintains a respectful and constructive dialogue, fostering a supportive atmosphere for growth.

Establishing and Reviewing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Omar underscores the necessity of objective criteria in evaluating performance:

Omar Zenhom [05:05]: "In the long term, you should have some sort of accountability and evaluations for your team. ... They should know what questions will be on the exam, so to speak."

By setting clear KPIs during the onboarding process and regularly reviewing them, managers can provide transparent and fair assessments of each team member's performance, minimizing surprises during evaluations.

Long-Term Benefits of Accountability

Investing in accountability practices not only addresses immediate performance issues but also cultivates a culture of responsibility and continuous improvement:

Omar Zenhom [12:30]: "Managing people, holding people accountable on your team, it actually gets easier over time because they'll see you do this with others, they'll get the message and just self correct. And momentum starts to build in your team."

As team members witness consistent accountability measures, they begin to internalize these standards, leading to self-regulation and enhanced overall team dynamics.

Conclusion

Omar Zenhom wraps up the episode by reinforcing the pivotal role of accountability in team management:

Omar Zenhom [12:50]: "Don't worry. You're investing in your team, you're investing in your company culture so that you can get the results you're looking for."

He encourages managers to view accountability as an investment in their team's growth and the company's success, assuring that with time and consistent effort, maintaining accountability becomes an integral and seamless part of the organizational culture.

Key Takeaways

Define Clear Expectations: Communicate performance standards and accountability mechanisms during the hiring process.
View Accountability as Coaching: Encourage continuous improvement rather than using a punitive approach.
Act Promptly on Issues: Address performance lapses immediately to prevent escalation.
Utilize Constructive Feedback Techniques: Implement methods like the praise sandwich to maintain positive relationships while addressing shortcomings.
Establish Objective Performance Metrics: Use KPIs to provide transparent and fair evaluations.
Foster a Culture of Accountability: Consistent application of accountability measures leads to self-regulation and improved team dynamics over time.

Final Thoughts

This episode of The $100 MBA Show serves as a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and managers aiming to enhance their leadership skills. Omar Zenhom's practical advice and relatable examples offer a roadmap for effectively holding team members accountable, ultimately driving both individual and organizational success.

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Transcript

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Omar Zenhom (1:11)

Hey, welcome to the $100 NBA show where your business gets better with every episode. I'm your host, your coach, your teacher, Omar Zenholm. I'm also the co founder of Webinar Ninja, an independent software company I started back in 2014. And today's episode is Q and A Wednesday. On Q and A Wednesdays, we answer a question from one of you, one of our listeners. If you got a question you want to ask, go ahead and email me over at omar100, mba.net. today's question is from Gary. And Gary asks, how do I get better at holding my team accountable? Most of my team members are great and do what they're supposed to do, but some are falling behind. Don't hit deadlines or just simply space out. How do I hold team members like that accountable? I don't want to feel like I'm micromanaging, but at the same time, I don't want to let it slide. This is a great question from Gary because as a founder of a business, as you start hiring people, this is a skill you're going to need to build to hold people accountable. Because when you're doing everything yourself in the beginning, you hold yourself accountable, right? You know what to expect from yourself. But as you start hiring people, you start to realize, wow, not everybody's like me. Some people need to be managed in different ways. And the thing about accountability is that it's a very slippery slope. You got to nip it in the bud before it gets worse. And I'm going to show you some strategies, some techniques that you can use in your own business, with your own team, how to hold your team accountable without it being so confrontational, without you feeling like you're micromanaging them, but rather coaching them. We'll also talk about what happens if you don't do this. It can get a lot worse than you think. So let's get into it. Let's get down to business. Whenever you're managing anybody, your job is not only to make sure that they do their job and they do their work and they hit their KPIs and all that. Your job is actually to make sure they're doing their best, that you're getting the best out of them, that they're actually getting better and better under your management, under your leadership. So holding people accountable is more like coaching people. So one of the things I like to do is when I hire somebody, I let them know that as a part of our team, you will be coached. You need to buy into the fact that I'm going to try to make you better and better as a professional. Are you in? If so, sign the contract and let's get started. They need to understand that this is the nature of working for you. I'm going to give you the resources, I'm going to let you do your thing. But if I need to coach you along the way, hold you accountable, then I'm going to do that. That's my duty. That's our agreement. Now, just because you didn't do this when you hired somebody doesn't mean you can't do it now. And you could just tell your whole team in your next all hands and just be upfront, hey, I want to do better as a manager. I want to make sure that I'm coaching you, making you better, investing in you. Because when you get better, the company gets better, your job satisfaction goes up. It's a win win for everybody. So what we want to make sure here is we address the concept of holding people accountable with our team members so we get buy in first. And it sets expectations. They know that this is happening before it actually happens. So when you do talk to them, they know where this is coming from. Now, having said that, every time you feel like somebody is not doing their job properly or maybe is not doing at the standard they should, you should see this as a teaching moment, as a coaching moment, a chance to talk to them. About how they can get better. It's an opportunity, and you don't want to waste this opportunity, and you don't want it to let it slide. Because by letting it slide, you are telling not only that employee that, hey, this is okay, and the way you handled this was perfectly fine. You're also telling everybody else on the team that what they did is fine. Remember, your team is not only watching what you do, but what you don't do. So seek out these opportunities, and in most cases, you can actually make it sort of like a group coaching situation. For example, just recently, I was running a meeting with a department in my team, and somebody on that meeting, one of my team members, showed up late. It was like five minutes late. And we have a very strict policy. We want to make sure we start on time so we can end on time. We want to respect everybody's time, and that means showing up early, if anything, to make sure you're not late. So when this person showed up late, they had a reason why they're late. But regardless of the reason, okay, they are late. Okay. And I just made it a teaching moment. Hey, team, I know that sometimes things happen, but let's make sure that we are here early so we're not late. We want to start on time no matter what. I'm not calling this person out by name.