Expectations Are Empty Talk without Accountability

To have a real shot of our core company values creating the legacy we hope for, the expectations we set must be sustainable. Realistically, though, we wouldn’t place unstainable expectations on anyone we truly care about - and that should cover everyone we’ve earned influence who’s following us, regardless of our level of authority. That said, even the clearest of expectations are just talk if we’re not willing to maintain a high level of accountability. 

Think about it, how often have you seen a parent barking orders at their out-of-control child with no change in behavior after whatsoever - from the child or the parent? If you’ve ever spent more than ten minutes in a Walmart, I’m sure you’ve witnessed this plenty of times. (I haven’t had to offer to spank someone’s kid for them since we started using the grocery pickup option!) With that fresh in your mind, what do we naturally assume about that parent’s relationship with their child? I realize there are exceptions, but it typically tells me that the child hasn’t been held accountable for not following directions. Make no mistake, I’m not suggesting that the parent has to jerk the kid out of the cart and beat them right there, but I’ve rarely seen a child who’s held accountable running wild in Walmart.

So how does that tie into setting sustainable expectations for how our team members exemplify our core values in their daily routines? Have you ever seen a coworker who’s habitually late even though the policy is very clear about when they’re supposed to arrive? Have you ever been given a date for when something you’ve requested would be in your hands and the individual who set the date resets their own projection, repeatedly, before coming through with what they committed to? Just like any kid being forced to endure the torture that is a trip through Walmart, all of us have bad days. But when undesirable behavior from a team member or service provider is the norm, it’s because they haven’t been held accountable to even meeting expectations - let alone exceeding those expectations…

As with the out-of-control kid in the store, the case I’m making here isn’t for harsh and immediate discipline - although discipline certainly has its place in the equation and we’ll get to that soon. Accountability begins with calmly addressing the behaviors that’s fallen short of what we expect, detailing the changes needed, and explaining what the future will hold if changes are not made. In the example I shared before, Terry wasn’t my manager so he wasn’t in a position to issue me a formal corrective action. But had I blown off the expectations he had set for me, he could have easily stopped the investment he was making in my career development, and that would have been more detrimental than a write up going in my file!

Whether we’ve truly earned the influence necessary to really lead our teams or we’re still working in that direction and have to actively manage performance, holding our team members accountable to live out our core values through what we expect from their daily behavior is absolute necessity if we want to reach a level of sustainability. And accountability isn’t something we can think about only when we’ve hit our boiling point because someone has missed the mark one too many times; it has to be in place every single day and with every individual on our team - so that’s where we’ll pick up next time.