Is it possible to make people accountable?

A manager shares some tips on how to build a team where people take responsibility for their work

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008 :: By Jay Piazza, Senior branch manager, Oakland Optical Sales

Jay Piazza

As a manager I've found that you can't make people accountable for results. But you can create an environment where people hold themselves and each other accountable.

Most people naturally want to do well and be part of a successful team. I've seen that from both sides of the table: as a department manager and, before that, as the chapter president of Optical Workers SEIU Local 535.

What teams need to know

My own accountabilities have changed since I moved into management, but my basic philosophy has not. People still need the same things to succeed. They need to:

• Understand the business. In optical sales, for instance, we know we're in a competitive business. We have to provide great service and operate efficiently, or all our jobs are at risk.
• Know our goals and how our work fits into the big picture.
• Have a stake in the outcome.
• Have a voice in how work gets done.

We can't be accountable if we're pointing fingers at others.

Jay Piazza, senior branch manager, Oakland Optical Sales

How managers can help

I try to do a few simple things and send a few consistent messages to address those needs.

• Share information. Our unit meets monthly to review our results, identify problems and develop solutions together.
• Clarify and connect. Everyone in our department has incentives to meet our goals. I talk about what's at stake financially and what each of us can do to hit our targets.
• Recognize success. Public acknowledgment and support are part of our work environment.
• Step back. This is the hardest change for many managers. We're used to driving the work. But if you've encouraged people to step up, own a problem and develop solutions, you get little additional benefit by jumping in and changing the few things you'd have done differently.

Lead by showing results

Northern California's Optical Sales department is now the largest volume optical service in the KP system. Our service ratings are as good as or better than most of our commercial competitors. And we're rated highly by our own employees in the People Pulse surveys. The fact that we're improving the business and keeping our employees happy is a point of pride.

Not everyone will rise to the performance challenge. But on a well-functioning team, other workers will have more influence with their peers than the manager will. Once you can point to positive results, most teams will up their own game.

All of us are learning to work together in new ways. But old habits die hard. When we have problems, or make mistakes, I try to give others the benefit of the doubt, and not assume they acted with bad intent. I ask others to do the same for me. We can't be accountable if we're pointing fingers at others.