Creating A Culture Of Accountability By Kym Krey

Do you find yourself constantly wondering why your staff don’t ‘just do it’? Frustrated about jobs left unfinished or poorly done, checklist not followed, training not implemented? You’ve shown them a thousand times, so you know they know HOW to do it…. but they just don’t.

You go in early, stay back late to get it all done because if you don’t do it, who will? They seem to just turn up, do their clients and go home, leaving you to do everything else.

It’s not how you thought running a business and employing a team would look!

So, how do you create a culture of accountability in your business?

Well, first, let’s get clear on what exactly that is…

A Culture of Accountability is building a team of people who are super clear on what they’re here to do, know exactly what is expected and accept responsibility for doing it and doing it well.

They get the job done: • Even when stuff gets in the way • Even when it’s a bit inconvenient • Even when it takes more effort than usual

The OPPOSITE of a Culture of Accountability is a culture of BLAME and EXCUSES. • “I don’t get paid to do that” • “I don’t do it like that” • “It’s not my problem. There’s nothing I could do” • Or just cutting corners and taking the easy way out

You get the idea!

So how do some Managers end up with a team who happily dot the Is and cross the Ts and take pride in doing a great job, while others can barely get them to turn up to work?

Here are a few key points on what it takes to build your own Culture of Accountability.

1. Accountability demands a leader who walks their talk. Who demonstrates exactly what they expect from their staff in their own behaviour, every day. No ‘do as I say, not as I do’. If you make excuses and blame others as the leader, that behaviour will spread through your team in a flash!

When a leader has the character to stand in front of their team and say “Guys, I stuffed that up!” or “I made a mistake and here’s what we’re going to do to fix it” or “What we’re doing isn’t working, so we’re going to try something different”, they show exactly the kind of behaviour that teaches staff what accountability looks like.

Ironically, a leader who says “I may not always get it right, but I’ll own it and fix it quickly when I don’t” earns far more trust and respect than the leader who can’t admit when they’re wrong.

2. Make the goal posts clear. You must be clear in your expectations, so your staff know exactly what you need and expect from them right from the start. No assuming they should magically ‘just know’ or telling yourself that it’s just ‘common sense’. That’s just poor leadership and guaranteed to set them up to fail.

Clear expectations followed by the guidance and training to be able to do the role well (followed by continual accountability-…. more on that later) gives them the best possible chance of doing well for you.

On day one, your onboarding conversation starts with: • This is who we are, what we’re passionate about and how we make a difference to our guests every day • This is why we are the stand-out choice for our clients and why what we do is unique • This is what outstanding service looks like to us and here’s exactly what I need you to do,

every client, every day • We are so committed to delivering on the promise we make to our clients and being worthy of their trust that we track our progress continually. Here’s how we’ll track your service levels and progress to help you succeed. • You and I will review your scoreboard continually, looking for wins and growth as well as opportunities to improve. We’ll have a constant rolling conversation, so you’ll always know exactly where you’re at. • If we find something that needs more focus or is not being done to standard, we’ll have a chat, identify the problem, and get it back on track.

3. Celebrate By the wins- no matter how small! Accountability requires a leader who equally celebrates when it’s done well, as much as correcting when it’s done poorly. And by putting the spotlight on those initial small achievements, you’re teaching them what to focus on and showing them what it feels like to win… and they’ll want to feel that again! that sound like the kind of place you’d like to be part of? 2. So will I be able to rely on YOU to also live and breathe those values and expectations?” 3. Do I have your word?”

Employment requires Yes, Yes and Yes! I offer you this in return for that. DO.WE. HAVE.A.DEAL?

Accountability is set upfront before they even have a chance to get it right or wrong… not afterwards when you’re trying to gain compliance or agreement from someone who had no intention of ever meeting your needs!

5. Hire the right people. You need to hire for culture fit, not just skills and experience and you must have the sheer, white-knuckled courage to say ‘No thank you’ to that senior (Diva) with a big ego and a truck full of promises who, if allowed in on a day you’re telling yourself that you’re desperate and don’t have a choice, will become a wrecking ball through your business costing you clients, great staff and your sanity! ‘attitude’ (bold resistance) is all it takes to keep you bluffed. At this point it’s no longer about what they’re doing… it’s now about what you’re going to do. The ball is squarely in your court. If you’ve done all the right things at the start (i.e. explained expectations and gained commitment), this is where you say something like, “Hey.. remember when you first started and we spoke about the importance of A,B,C? And do you remember when you gave me your word that you would be fully committed to XYZ? Well, here’s what we agreed… and here’s what is actually happening in comparison… and there’s a rather large gap. The problem with that is…… so what I’ll need from you is……… Am I going to be able to rely on you to …….? Do I have your word?” Sound familiar?

Calm and composed. No one loses their cool. No feelings hurt. No relationships damaged. Take the emotion out. If you’re struggling to do that because the mere sight of them makes you want to scream... that’s your body telling you that you’ve waited way too long to have this conversation!

So, you need to be able to say • “That was AWESOME! • You’ve done a fabulous job of that! • That’s WAY better than I even expected, thank you!

Just as much as you need to be able to say: • “Whoops! What happened here?” • “Now that’s NOT what we talked about. Let’s go over that again” • “Look, we’re not quite getting the results that we need here. Tell me what you understand that you need to do”

It takes both to build ownership. If you only ever point out the bad stuff, you’ll build a culture of FEAR, and they’ll stay ‘safe’ in first gear to avoid getting in trouble.

4. Gain commitment. Before you let them in the door…. before they set foot near your clients…. before they get a chance to develop bad habits…. as the Gatekeeper of your business and the Keeper of the Standard, you gain their commitment to your values and expectations. 6. A coaching mindset. They won’t get it right the first time… or the 2nd or even the 3rd. That’s part of the deal and what you’re signing up for. You need to make it clear enough upfront to allow them to get a solid 70% initially and then coach, coach, coach until you’re closer to 90 -95%.

What you’re looking for is willingness, coachability and improvement, even if it’s slow. As long as I’m getting some improvement and they’re giving me their best shot, I’ve got their back. We’re in this together and I’m sticking with them until we get them there. But give me attitude, resistance or laziness and it’s GAME. OVER.

7. Willingness to have the tough conversations. You’ve been at this for months with no improvement… and because it’s been months with no improvement (or effort) and nothing seems to have happened… guess what’s going to happen. Nothing! They’re in a comfort zone, thank you very much and that’s exactly where they intend to stay. Nip it in the bud early, when it’s small and easily corrected. You get what you accept, and you teach what you allow. We can all be friends but while we’re at work… here’s the rules of the game. Capiche?

P.S. Not everyone is going to fit your culture or expectations… and that’s perfectly OK. Be willing to wait for the right ones and your life will be far less stressful!

So, there you have it. 7 steps to building a Culture of Accountability and getting the job done.

If you want to master the skills of inspirational leadership and get real results, Kym Krey is the gal you need. A highly experienced and qualified mentor with the runs on the board to help you get where you want to go. No one blends people and performance like The Salon Mentor. Get in touch. ww.kymkrey.com.au, kym@kymkrey.com.au or find her on socials.

You’ll laugh, you’ll learn…. and you’ll definitely make a lot more money!