Curtis shifted in the chair. “But my team never really comes up with anything. Sometimes it seems they just want me to tell them what to do so they don’t have to think.”
“Of course they want you to tell them what to do. If you tell them what to do, then they are not responsible for the solution. All the accountability falls back on you.”
“Yes, but after all, I am the Manager,” Curtis replied.
“It’s a tough assignment to turn down,” I nodded.
“What do you mean?”
“They invite you to take all the responsibility, you get all the glory. It is a tough assignment to turn down. Unfortunately, you cannot hold them accountable for things gone wrong. Your team likes it that way.”
Great topic! I look at accountability as a trust and delegation issue as well. A manager can encourage accountability for an idea that he/she implements yes….however, if the Manager does not know and trust the strengths of his/her team and does not delegate wisely, this will consistently make the team even less apt to be part of the solution.
Delegation, trust and accountability should all go together, (in my opinion). How can a manager effectively delegate responsibilities of his/her staff members if there is no knowledge and trust in their abilities? How can a manager expect to hold someone accountable without this knowledge? Delegation, which could also be a trust issue, is a tough assignment all in itself — numerous Managers have a difficult time embracing this concept.
One way to overcome this would be to assign tasks over and over until that “inventory of team strengths” can be clearly defined.
It’s also the manager’s job to find the weak link in each project (and there will be one!). This is when the Manager should be held accountable, yet be able to find the resources to overcome the limitations and/or delegate in view of that.
A successful Manager should be held accountable for recognizing the expertise of his/her staff members and setting these strengths into motion. A manager can then delegate effectively and concisely to hold the entire team accountable for the project. In the end, everyone should get the glory! (and deserve it!)