How to Hold Employees Accountable Without Constantly Chasing Them
I had a coaching client come to me this week frustrated with one of his employees. He needed information from her, he’d asked for it, and she’d told him she would get back to him when she had it.
So he waited.
Then he followed up. She was still working on it. She’d let him know.
More waiting. More frustration.
He felt like he was constantly chasing people to do things they’d already agreed to do. If you lead a team, you probably know exactly what that feels like. Eventually, you start wondering why grown adults need to be reminded to do their jobs.
But as we talked through it, I realized his employee might not have been the problem.
I asked him a few questions. What exactly did you ask her to do? When did you tell her you needed it? What did you tell her to do if she couldn’t get the information? When were the two of you supposed to talk about it again?
We found the problem pretty quickly.
None of that had been established.
It reminded me of raising three boys and telling one of them to clean the kitchen before going out with his friends.
I gave him an assignment and a deadline. Seems pretty clear.
Except his definition of a clean kitchen and mine were usually very different. He might put a few dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down a counter and consider the project complete. Meanwhile, I’m looking at food in the sink, and a floor full of whatever used to be on the counter.
The problem is that “clean the kitchen” makes perfect sense to the person saying it. That doesn’t mean it means the same thing to the person hearing it.
We do the same thing in business.
“Get me those numbers.”
“Follow up with that customer.”
“Figure out what happened.”
“Let me know when you hear something.”
Then we get frustrated when people don’t deliver what we expected.
I coached my client to change the way he assigned the project. Instead of saying, “Let me know when you have the information,” we established exactly what he needed, what a completed assignment looked like, and a clear, realistic deadline. If the employee couldn’t get the information by then, that didn’t eliminate the deadline. The deadline simply became the time to report what she knew, what she didn’t know, and what needed to happen next.
Suddenly, he didn’t have to chase her.
He knew when they were talking again. She knew exactly what she was responsible for. Both of them knew what “done” looked like.
That’s a very different way to lead.
Accountability doesn’t begin with consequences. It begins with clarity.
Before you decide someone on your team has an accountability problem, take a look at how you’re assigning the work. Did you clearly explain what you need? Does the other person understand what finished looks like? Is there a specific and realistic deadline? Have you established what happens if they can’t complete it by then?
You can eliminate a lot of frustration by answering those questions before anyone starts working.
And the benefit isn’t only that more things get done. You stop chasing people. Your employees stop guessing. Expectations become clearer, conversations become easier, and when there really is an accountability problem, you can address it without wondering whether you contributed to the confusion.
Sometimes better accountability doesn’t start with demanding more from your employees.
It starts with becoming clearer as their leader.
If you’re leading a team and you’re tired of chasing people, carrying too much yourself, or wondering why things keep falling back on your plate, let’s talk. Book a complimentary coaching session with me, and we’ll look at what’s actually happening and what you can change to lead with more clarity, accountability, and a lot less frustration.