Accountability

Recently, several organizations have had difficulty with their management and employees. As I observed a church staff, a charter school administration, and new corporate middle managers, I discover that accountability is a huge issue for all of them. Some employees had authority to coincide with their responsibility. They had an easier time acheiving accountability than those who had responsibility and little to no authority in crazy-making, no-win situations. My observations led me to understand that accountability issues disguise trust and truth issues, and without trust and truth, the workplace beomes non-nurturing at the best and hostile at the worst. Teamwork, productivity, performance, and morale become casualties of a workplace where accountability is overlooked or undermined. Gossip, lying, and blame fuel distrust and negativity. In the church scenario, lies and unfounded accusations caused the pastor's dismissal by misled lay leaders. In the charter school scenario, the director was made a scapegoat for the executive director's poor judgment and the board of directors' ineptitude. In the corporate scenario, the middle managers continue to flounder in unclear expectations and inadequate support.

If negativity, distrust, and poor achievement show up in your organization, look to your systems for accountability or the lack of it. Personal responsibility, positional authority, and professional accountability measure the health of an organization. How healthy is yours?