While these semi or annual performance reviews are critical to a team or department improving, this newsletter will not address accountability regarding the skills and aptitude needed to perform a job well, but rather, the behavior of a manager or employee that keeps themselves and others from performing at a higher level. As a manager, I found it far easier to give constructive feedback on a task that was not being performed well versus an interpersonal problem an employee had like interrupting others or showing up late for meetings. Something about these behavior issues kept me awake more often at night than the skill problems.
Thanks to author, Patrick Lencioni, who wrote a Field Guide to the Five Dysfunction Of A Team. I have used his work for years in my facilitation of troubled teams or teams that want to improve their performance. In his book Patrick teaches us that the inability to hold oneself and others accountable is one of the five dysfunctions of a team. He also shows us that two powerful questions asked and answered in a safe environment will help a group become more accountable towards each other.
As a leader, you need to know the answer to these two powerful questions about your own behavior:
- What is the single most important behavioral characteristic or quality by this person that contributes to the strength of our team/department?
- What is the single most important behavioral characteristic or quality byt this person that can sometimes derail the team/department?
Question for You:
Are you a leader that senses their behavior may be holding the team back? Are you an employee that wants to learn what behaviors add or detract from the team?
Call to Action for You:
As a leader, you could send out an online survey with these two powerful questions but there must be a third party that is trusted, receiving the results so your staff will be honest with their responses. Then you need to take action and not shoot the messenger. Another way to do this would be in a staff meeting where you ask each person to give the feedback directly to you. If you are known for being arrogant, this will not work, as people may think you will retaliate. The only way this will work, is if you listen, take notes, ask for clarifying questions and thank each one after their responses...then take action to make the changes you are able. The beautiful part of this activity is that others may, down the road, be willing to have these two questions answered about their behavior, if the leader listened and made changes to their behavior.
