Construction Trends: Garrett Sullivan

Establish Accountability to Achieve Results

Are you a contractor who others view as, “You say what you mean and mean what you say?” Can you be counted on 100 percent to fulfill your promises, or do you sometimes slide? If you are the owner of a privately-held construction company, you are accountable to very few people. Most owners of construction companies believe this is a good thing. However, that’s a serious mistake.

Very often, owners will tell me in the same breath they enjoy the lack of accountability but, are unhappy with the way their companies are performing. I point out their employees are simply mirroring the lack of strict accountability they see from the top.

Turning around this culture is not easy. The only place to start is with you—the person at the top. As Ghandi said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Never underestimate how closely your employees watch you. They mimic your mode of operation. If you are unaccountable to others, they notice.

The dictionary defines accountability as the state of being liable and answerable for one’s actions. It’s typical for people—and especially leaders—to think of accountability in a negative sense. Many believe it’s squelching, or even intimidating. However, the opposite is true. When accountability is a major focus in a company, results happen on time and with predictability. Employee performance increases, job satisfaction improves and relationships are strengthened. It is a formula for success.

Accountability is for fearless individuals who are not content with the status quo. It is for individuals who want to be true change agents. With accountability, you and your company will be more productive, reach higher levels of performance as well as achieve richer personal and professional relationships.

As the leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that you or those in management positions have set clear goals, established roles in achieving the goal and set the deadline in an atmosphere of trust and respect.

This is particularly difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ever-changing working conditions, with some employees working from home, virtual meetings becoming the norm, handling unexpected problems while trying to lead teams.

To improve accountability with your employees, begin by reviewing the company’s core values. Can you and everyone in the company quickly recite them and are you living them out every day, no matter how unpleasant or costly? If yes, rank (on a scale of 1 to 5) all the employees on their level of accountability and identify those who fall short, which is usually identified by those who consistently fail to achieve deadlines.

Consider the following questions in the quest for improvement: • What part/role do I play in this shortfall of accountability? • Does the employee understand there is an issue? • Is this person coachable?

• Is there anything that is an obstacle for this person? • How much is this costing the company in lost customers, overtime, reputational cost, etc.? • What is the deadline for fixing the problem? • What is the ideal outcome? For those contractors who manage remote workers, a simple technique for creating accountability metrics asks three questions: “What will you do?” This gives the employee the responsibility to express how they plan to successfully work in a remote environment and make their own decisions on what works best. “When will you do it?” This ensures clarity around expectations. There’s less opportunity for confusion when timing and deadlines are made clear. These two questions can be documented in meeting minutes and then shared virtually.

“How will we know that you’ve completed the assignment?” The direct report should send a note to confirm the task is completed.

Measuring employee accountability in person or virtually is the key step to ensure active participation and positive outcomes.

Why not make today the day that you begin to choose your words and actions carefully? Speak and act intentionally to influence the kind of change you wish to see in your company and build a high performing culture of accountability.

Garrett Sullivan is president of Sullivan & Associates Inc., a management coach who helps contractors clarify, simplify to achieve their goals and vision with reduced stress and great profitability. Contact him at GSullivan@SullivanHi. com or 478-2564.