Workplace Accountability: How Effective Managers Create a Culture of Ownership

2013 Executive Briefing
Workplace Accountability
How Effective Managers Create a
Culture of Ownership
© 2013 Vmax Performance Group | All Rights Reserved

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary..........................................
The Accountability Environment......................
Employee Engagement....................................
Prerequisites to Accountability.........................
The Role of Expectations.................................
Performance Review........................................
Feedback and the 1-on-1 Meeting™...............
Conclusion.......................................................
About the Author..............................................

Executive Summary
Every company would love for its employees to demonstrate accountability; to take ownership of
their work. However, despite their best efforts, few companies understand what it takes to create
and sustain a culture of accountability. To develop a team of individuals that take ownership of their
work requires, 1) a skilled leader, 2) a proven accountability process, and 3) the discipline to develop
and practice the habits that will lead to a culture of ownership.
In the current economy, faced with the constant prospect of doing more with less - fewer people,
limited resources, and smaller budgets - there is an increased emphasis on the ability to create high-performance
work teams that solve problems, pursue innovation, super-serve customers, and
communicate effectively. All of these objectives can be achieved, but, ultimately, each is dependent
upon talented employees who are willing to be responsible for their results.
To create these teams, leaders must learn the skills and the processes that lead to workplace
accountability. This paper outlines a proven methodology for creating a culture of ownership: the
importance of employee engagement, the prerequisites that must be in place, the significance of
defined expectations, the critical need for real-time performance review, and the role of one-on-one
communication with employees.
Kelly Riggs
Vmax Performance Group
March 2013
Workplace Accountability...................Page 3

The Accountability Environment
In September 2012, a terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi,
Libya resulted in the loss of four American lives, including U.S.
Ambassador Christopher Stevens. In investigating this tragic event, the
State Department convened an Accountability Review Board which
reported, in part:
The Board found that certain senior State Department officials within
two bureaus demonstrated a lack of proactive leadership and
management ability in their responses to security concerns posed by
Special Mission Benghazi, given the deteriorating threat environment
and the lack of reliable host government protection. However, the
Board did not find reasonable cause to determine that any individual
U.S. government employee breached his or her duty.
The report identified a lack of proactive leadership and a lack of
management ability. In other words, people failed. However, no one was
really responsible.

Unfortunately, we live and work in a society where few people are
willing to take direct responsibility for their actions.
Blame, conceal, and evade? Yes. Take responsibility? No.
Predictably, problems with accountability are quite common in the
workplace. Both managers and employees routinely and
consistently fail to take responsibility for their performance results,
their actions, or their attitudes. Instead, they blame the boss, the
company, other employees, or anything else that will readily suffice
as an excuse - including customers.
When accountability is absent, the inevitable result is a significant
gap between a company’s performance and the performance it is
capable of producing.

To make things worse, as we will see, this problem is compounded exponentially when managers
fail to address employee performance issues, which is, in and of itself, a lack of accountability.
Despite the evidence that workplace accountability is, generally speaking, quite rare, managers and
business owners cling to the notion that employees should willingly “take ownership” of their work;
that employees should readily welcome accountability for their workplace performance...

The challenge is that leaders consistently fail to create
a culture of ownership.
Employee engagement – a measurement of how involved
and enthusiastic employees are in the workplace –
continues to decline. Towers Watson, a worldwide
professional services company, puts fully engaged
employees at 35 percent. Blessing White, a global
consulting firm, reports that fewer than one out of every
three employees is engaged. Survey data from Gallup
reports that only 29 percent of employees are fully
engaged in their work.
If only one out of every three employees is
engaged, then two out of every three employees are
disengaged, meaning that, for one or more reasons, they
have lost the motivation to perform at the highest level.
The idea that these same employees will “take ownership”
of their work; i.e., take initiative, double-check critical
details, and assume responsibility for their own
performance, is without merit.
Employee Engagement
“The challenge is that
leaders consistently
fail to create a culture
of ownership.”

The question is, who or what creates employee
engagement? In 2007, research conducted by Leigh
Branham, in conjunction with the Saratoga Institute,
revealed that 70 percent of employees leave their
jobs due specifically to the actions of a manager or
supervisor [1]. In other words, in better than two
out of three occurrences, it is ineffective leadership
that leads to employee dissatisfaction in the
workplace.
Leadership is critical to workplace accountability
because the actions of a leader determine the
environment in which employees will either thrive or
languish. When leaders fail to create a culture that
encourages and rewards accountability, it cannot
and will not exist.
On the other hand, leaders who understand the
principles of employee engagement can implement
a process that creates a culture of ownership and an
expectation of accountability.
[2] From The 7 Hidden
Reasons Employees
Leave: How to Read the
Subtle Signs and Act
Before It’s Too Late.
Amacom (2005).
19,700 employees were
interviewed and asked
why they left their
companies. The seven
reasons are: 1) the job or
workplace was not as
expected, 2) mismatch
between the job and the
employee, 3) too little
coaching and feedback,
4) too few growth and
advancement
opportunities, 5) feeling
devalued and
unrecognized, 6) stress
from overwork and
work-life balance, and 7)
loss of trust and
confidence in senior
leaders.
Employee Engagement
[1] Leigh Branham. The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave:
How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late
(AMACOM, 2005).

Prerequisites to Accountability
For workplace accountability to exist, leadership must create a culture of accountability. If company
leadership does not establish that culture, it is highly unlikely that employees will do so themselves.
In fact, in the absence of a clear set of cultural norms, accountability, if it exists at all, will be
random, inconsistent, and most likely coerced. Unfortunately, “coercive micro-management” and
“willing accountability” are mutually exclusive terms.
The initial steps in creating a culture of ownership may appear obvious, but are often overlooked.
First, every employee should have a very clear understanding of his/her work processes and the
performance results they are tasked to produce. Second, they should receive sufficient training to
ensure those processes are well executed.
Surprisingly, It is not all that unusual for work
processes to be vague, undefined, or inconsistent. If
that is the case, note that it is impossible to create
accountability to workplace performance.
Without clear standards, to what is
the employee accountable exactly?
Without adequate training, how can
the employee achieve the desired
standards?
“An empowered organization is
one in which individuals have the
knowledge, skill, desire, and
opportunity to personally succeed
in a way that leads to collective
organizational success.”
Stephen Covey

Prerequisites to Accountability
Establishing a standard process to achieve a performance result does not exclude the employee’s
personal choices for achieving a particular objective. It is not micro-management to define the result
and the process to achieve the result; it is to create clarity regarding work results.
For example, consider an administrative employee who is required to prepare a sales report at the end
of the month for a sales executive. If the employee lacks specific skills or knowledge regarding the
process necessary to create the report – how to use the appropriate software, how to generate the
report, what report fields to include or exclude, and so forth – the employee may be accused of a lack of
accountability when the real problem is a lack of clarity.
The failure to clearly define the work process or to provide
the training to execute the work process provides an
employee with the perfect excuse to escape accountability.
When an employee can claim they don’t know, or don’t know
how, it eliminates the opportunity for the manager to
reasonably hold the employee accountable for the
performance result.
“One of the most
important tasks of a
manager is to eliminate
his people’s excuses
for failure.”
Robert Townsend
“I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know how.”

The Role of Expectations
Once an employee has received sufficient training and clearly
understands the processes needed to create the desired result,
you have only begun to create a culture of ownership. The next
step is to clearly communicate your expectations regarding
performance.
Taking the example from above, an employee might know exactly
how to produce the correct sales report, but could easily be
unclear as to the manager’s expectations for delivery: is it due on
the first day of the following month, or within five working days,
or within thirty days? Should the report be formatted in a
particular way? Does the report need to be copied to any other
individuals in the company? Should it be delivered digitally? As a
PDF or as a Word document?
These details, and potentially several others, are important
because creating a result is just one aspect of performance. The
expectations regarding the delivery of the result is quite another.
The process to produce an accurate sales report might be clearly
defined, but the employee might be labeled irresponsible if the
report is considered late or not formatted according to the
manager’s expectations.
This lack of communication becomes magnified if the employee is
tasked with producing the same sales report for not one, but
three different Sales Managers, and each has a different
expectation for the document.

Clear expectations will include these key elements:
1) What, exactly, does the correct final result look like?
2) When should the result be completed?
3) What metric will be used to measure the performance?
4) What is the standard of performance?
When an employee knows exactly how to produce the desired performance; knows exactly when the work should be
completed; and, understands both the standard of performance and how it will be measured, then expectations are
clearly set and the employee’s performance can be fairly assessed.
In the example above - producing a sales report - the simplest measurements for this employee are most likely
timeliness and accuracy. For example, if the standard is established that the report is due on the Sales Manager’s desk
within five working days of the end of each month, that is easily measured. Accuracy can also be easily assessed
against a list of benchmarks: information to be included, formatting, etc.

The Role of Expectations
The final aspect of communicating expectations is to help each
employee understand why his or her work is important; to create the
expectation that each employee will make an important contribution
to the overall success of both the team and the company.
Accountability is always strongest when an individual has a
sense of mission, and real value is attached to the work.
This is an integral part of creating a culture of ownership, because
the word ‘culture’ implies a shared vision. It implies a commonality
among those in the organization. To create a culture of
accountability, each individual must be invested in the performance
of the whole. In other words, if you want someone to act like an
owner, you must treat them like an owner.
Being invested in the result creates an entirely different
perspective for the employee. Being invested leads to
ownership.
The only way to create an attitude of ownership is to ensure that
employees understand their value to the organization. Employees
who understand the “Big Picture,” and clearly understand why their
contributions are important to the team and the company as a whole,
are far more inclined to take ownership of their work.
Expecta

In a 2012 article from Harvard Business Review, authors Gretchen Spreitzer and
Christine Porath reported on data compiled from seven years of workplace research.
The research was designed to determine the type of culture that creates ‘sustainable
performance’ in the workplace.
They discovered that sustainable performance was directly related to releasing and
sustaining enthusiasm in employees; to creating a company of ‘thriving’ employees.
The data revealed four consistent practices that led to sustainable performance:
1. Consistent sharing of information
2. Decision-making discretion
3. Consistent performance feedback
4. A workplace that minimizes incivility [2]
The performance advantage in those companies that demonstrated these
four cultural norms was significant. [3]
[2] “Creating Sustainable Performance” by Gretchen Spreitzer and Christine Porath. Harvard Business
Review. (Jan-Feb 2012).
[3] Ibid. “16% better overall performance (as reported by their managers) and 125% less burnout (self-reported)
than their peers. They were 32% more committed to the organization and 46% more satisfied
with their jobs. They also missed much less work and reported significantly fewer doctor visits, which
meant health care savings and less lost time for the company.”

Work processes, training, and clear expectations are critical to workplace accountability. However, there
will never be a culture of ownership in the workplace without consistent, real-time performance review.
Most organizations fail to create a culture of ownership simply because they fail to address
performance issues, or, when they do, it is critical and/or demeaning (a component of
incivility).
In fact, this is the universal reason why the vast majority of organizations have no chance to create a
culture of accountability. Even if the necessary prerequisites are in place and clear expectations have been
communicated, accountability cannot be established if, 1) if there are no consequences for sub-par
performance, and, 2) there is no positive reinforcement and recognition for excellent performance.
Performance Review

Performance Review
For performance review to be effective, it must occur in real-time. Real-time means “current”, not the typical
once-at-the-end-of-the-year annual performance appraisal. Annual performance appraisals – as currently
practiced – are not only ineffective, they are counterproductive. [4]
First, common sense would dictate that a manager cannot effectively review fifty weeks of workplace
performance in a couple of hours at the end of the year. Second, employees often have no concrete or
consistent definition of those “core competencies” in which they are required to excel. And, third,
managers’ observations are often highly subjective and strongly influenced by personal whim. For example,
what does “exceeds expectations” mean exactly? Some managers will never award a “5”, reasoning that the
highest assessment assumes perfect performance and everyone can improve.
The real problem, however, is that annual performance appraisals are rarely used as a tool to create a path
to actual performance improvement and career development. In most cases, the appraisal is simply used as
a tool to determine end-of-the-year bonuses or compensation adjustments. Rarely, if ever, is there a
detailed assessment of productivity or performance gains, or are plans established that actually lead to
tangible improvements in performance.
[4] “Many managers see performance appraisals as nothing more than an empty,
bureaucratic exercise forced on them by HR. And simply search the Internet on the words,
performance appraisal, and you’ll find various polls revealing the high percentage of
employees who feel appraisals are pointless.” Excerpted from “How to Make
Performance Reviews Relevant” by Lisa Quast. Forbes. January 21, 2013. Workplace Accountability...................Page 16

To make reviews effective, there must be a productive one-on-relationship in place in which both manager
and employee are working together to improve performance.
Managers can talk until they are blue in the face about the importance of positive team play at every
level of the organization, but the team play that's most critical to ensuring that an organization runs
effectively is the one-on-one relationship between a boss and each of his or her subordinates.
The performance review undermines that relationship. [5]
The performance review undermines that relationship because the process is adversarial by design. It is
designed as a one-sided scorecard appraisal rather than an attempt to help an employee reach his or her
potential and become the greatest possible contributor towards the team’s objectives.
And, worst of all, it only happens once a year.
[5] Dr. Samuel A. Culbert. “Get Rid of the Performance Review!” Wall Street Journal.
June 21, 2012. (Dr. Culbert is an author, consultant, and professor of management at the
UCLA Anderson School of Management.)
Performance Review

Feedback and the 1-on-1 Meeting™
A consistent one-on-one meeting designed to simultaneously facilitate communication and enhance
performance review is the ideal scenario for creating a productive relationship between a manager and an
employee. To this end, we utilize and teach a simple, easy-to-follow meeting concept called the 1-on-1
Meeting™. This meeting is specifically designed for the benefit of the employee, creating a vehicle for consistent
communication and employee interaction, while also providing the
perfect mechanism for real-time performance review. [6]
In this weekly (or bi-weekly) meeting, the employee reviews key
activities from the previous work period, highlighting the important
accomplishments and issues encountered. In addition, the employee
provides a preview of his/her plans and priorities for the
upcoming time period. [Note: the meeting has a specific
template to follow and is much more than just a “one-on-one”
conversation.]
In this meeting, the manager is afforded the
opportunity to evaluate performance and assess
the employee’s ability to plan and prioritize work
objectives. This weekly (or bi-weekly) review
provides an intimate snapshot of the employee’s
progress against goals and objectives, and
allows for real-time manager feedback.
[6] For detailed information regarding the 1-on-1 Meeting™, see 1-on-1
Management™: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t (available
at www.vmaxpg.com). Workplace Accountability...................Page 18

To be clear, both positive AND critical feedback are necessary to performance growth. In most
organizations, however, positive feedback is infrequent at best, and nonexistent at worst. If your
company’s objective is to create a culture of ownership, this is a mistake of enormous magnitude.
Recognition and reward are directly linked to employee engagement and improved workplace performance.
In “The Carrot Principle”, authors Adrian
Gostick and Chester Elton analyzed employee
research data accumulated over a period of ten
years. Surveys collected from over 200,000
employees revealed that 79 percent of
employees who changed jobs cited a lack of
appreciation as a key reason for leaving the
company.
The most significant finding in the research,
however, was that companies that excelled in
recognizing employee talents and
contributions demonstrated, 1) better financial
results and, 2) lower employee turnover than
their lower-scoring counterparts. [7]
“The central characteristic of truly
effective management – the element
that shows up time and again in every
great workplace – is a manager’s
ability to recognize employees’ talents
and contributions in a purposeful
manner.”
The Carrot Principle
[7] Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. The Carrot Principle: How the Best
Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent, and
Accelerate Performance. Free Press (2009). Workplace Accountability...................Page 19

On the other hand, there are always those times
when critical feedback is necessary; when behavior
or performance is not up to standards and must be
addressed. The value of a positive work environment
and a positive working relationship with each
employee is that this necessary feedback is
welcomed rather than being perceived as criticism.
When critical feedback is necessary, the most
important step in addressing the issue is to
reset your objectives and expectations.
If corrective action is needed, what is the time line
for those changes? Are there intermediate standards
to achieve? If so, when? In the case of critical
feedback – those times when performance fails to
meet expectations and/or pre-set performance
standards – the manager and employee must reset
and agree to a new set of expectations and re-establish
a time frame for meeting those
expectations.

Conclusion
Being accountable – acting responsibly and taking
ownership – means more than simply completing a
given task. It means acting with initiative, going the
extra mile, attending to details, proactively
communicating with others, and much more. These
are all cultural standards that must be established,
communicated, and reinforced on a regular basis.
To create a culture of ownership requires, first and
foremost, effective leadership. Managers must
intentionally develop a culture that rewards and
reinforces accountability. They cannot expect
employees to act like owners unless, and until, they
are first positioned as owners.
Employee Engagement Data Sources:
Training
Expectations
Performance
Review
Recognition
Big Picture
1-on-1
Meeting™
• Towers Watson (http://www.towerswatson.com/en/Insights/IC-Types/Survey-Research-Results/2012/07/2012-Towers-Watson-Global-Workforce-Study)
• Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/en-us/employeeengagement.aspx)
• Blessing White (http://blessingwhite.com/EEE__report.asp)
To assess your corporate culture, or to train your leaders to
develop a culture of ownership, or to learn more about
workplace accountability, contact Vmax Performance Group
(www.vmaxpg.com).

About the Author
Kelly Riggs is the founder and president of Vmax Performance Group, a business performance
improvement company located in Broken Arrow, OK. He is an author, speaker, and business
performance coach for executives and companies throughout the United States, and is widely
recognized as a powerful speaker and dynamic trainer tin the field of leadership, sales development, and
strategic planning.
He is also a former two-time national Salesperson of the Year with over two decades of sales
management and sales training experience, including the development of two comprehensive, corporate
sale training programs in two different industries.
Kelly has written extensively for numerous industry publications, and has written two books, “1-on-1
Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t” (2008) and “Quit Whining and Start
SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales (2013).
For more information, visit www.vmaxpg.com or email kelly@vmaxpg.com.
Vmax Performance Group
Transforming potential into performance.™
© 2013 Vmax Performance Group | All Rights Reserved | www.vmaxpg.com
Do not reproduce without permission.

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