Employee accountability is essential for organizational and team success. When someone drops the ball the repercussions can be serious. So, it is imperative to have good employee accountability on the most crucial tasks and responsibilities.

Share a problem, ask for help

Employees are expected to be accountable for completing their everyday tasks well and on time. If there is an accountability problem in this context, it needs to be explored to find the cause of the problem and then use this method to forge an agreement and follow-up plan.

It may be difficult to hold people accountable to tasks or responsibilities that are not routine. In most organizations, things are changing often and fast. Change brings problems and challenges. The idea here is to get employees to help you as a leader participate in solving problems that you are facing but that they may not even know about.

Hold a meeting with an employee and share your problem or project. Explain why the problem or project is important and how it affects the organization or department. Ask what they think they can do in the context of their work that will help you in solving the problem. Discuss until you can agree on the actions the employee can take. You can also define it as a goal or objective and list some action steps.

Write it down

Summarize the goal or objective and action steps in writing so that the expectations are clear. Putting commitments in writing creates a stronger agreement. Make sure you also discuss any support or resources you need to provide the employee and write that down too. Accountability is both ways.

Follow-up

Follow-up coaching sessions are imperative for this approach to work as this is where the accountability factor really kicks in. Without follow-up on the commitments, the problem can become wishful thinking. When there is a follow-up meeting date on the calendar, it becomes more serious as no one wants to see themselves as failing to keep their commitments.

When conducting the follow-up session, have the employee report on their progress. Ask them how satisfied they are with their progress and if you agree give positive feedback. Recognize their efforts if warranted. If you feel they are falling short of the expectations, say so and explain why.  Keep the conversation constructive so they stay motivated. Ask what they can do to improve results over the next period. Schedule the next follow-up session.

Excuses

People may come up with reasons or even excuses as to why they could not act. Employees need to learn to solve their own problems and not wait until the meeting to tell you about them. Part of the coaching meeting in this case would be to bring the person back to their commitment and help them to come up with solutions to their problems.

Repetition

Keep the process of meetings going and as you reach one goal or improvement, find another project to work on to involve the employee outside of their routine. This will help you as a leader keep employees engaged and accountable and help you to solve new problems and challenges before they become threat.