Perspectives
Accountability Starts With Truth
by Elaine Morris
While facilitating a
recent executive off site, I observed the executive team agree to give one
another direct and honest feedback on ways each team member contributes and
detracts from the team’s effectiveness.
The group was tense as they admitted to dreading this drill. As the leader offered to go first, the group
went around and acknowledged the leader for being a good decision maker, hard
working, intelligent…”this isn’t so bad” I imagined him saying to himself.
I knew the next part would
be much harder. As each one gave the
leader feedback on ways he detracted from the team, you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on him as each anticipated what
the leader’s reaction might be. Each commentary
delivered added to the tension in the room.
“You don’t seem to listen when I am talking”…”you are quick to criticize
and rarely give praise when a job is well done”…”you say something is a team
decision and then you go off and make the decision on your own”…”sometimes I
wonder what you are really thinking, I don’t have a feeling that you are being
straight with me”…”I don’t hear from you all month, then you swoop in and seem
to want to take over.”
As they went around the
table, it became obvious to this CEO that the feedback was spot on. This was
not really new information. He had been
told earlier in his career that he is a died-in-the-wool maverick, a lone
ranger. If the truth be told, he did not
trust others to get the job done. He
hated relying on others. He thought, “This is bad news. After all I invested in this team development
initiative, am I really the biggest obstacle to teamwork?” This was disturbing.
The tension finally broke
when the leader turned to the group and shared what he was thinking. “I hate to admit this, but I really don’t
have much trust in people. Don’t take
this personally, (laughter) but something inside me just thinks “you have to do
it all yourself, you can’t really count on others.” “I guess that is pretty
obvious to all of you.”
(more
laughter).
The truth was out. In that moment this leader became transparent. He told them what everyone already knew. He promised to really work on this and make significant
changes. In fact he made some promises for growth in this area. He was already working with a coach and so he
pledged to discuss this in his next session and report back to the team within
30 days on ways he would be addressing the issue.
As other members had their
turn to hear others’ perceptions, each had an opportunity to see some personal
trait that was hard to swallow--a trait that was not necessarily a complete
surprise, just not previously recognized as contributing to another’s
frustration. As the facilitator, I gave
each member an opportunity to choose one critical behavioral improvement. The group provided support in both the choice
made and next action steps. By the end
of the session, there
was a sense of relief and a relaxed easiness, in this case, well earned.
Point: The truth works. For positive change to occur, team members
must have a safe space for honest, direct and truthful feedback. That is what builds real trust.
Tools For
Truth and Accountability:
- Make group feedback a regular practice. Have
it be a normal part of how you work together. Make it safe by having leaders go
first. Have a facilitator to help
move through the process and to provide direction.
- Follow through on changes promised. Top leaders model this by working on
their own growth and by also holding others to account for the changes
promised.
- Foster peer to peer accountability by
encouraging people at all levels to give one another feedback, rather than
leaving it only to the leader of a team.
Include openness and honesty in your values and build this kind of
risk-taking into your culture.
- Provide coaching and/or education
opportunities to support growth and development.
Remember, the words of Ken
Blanchard, “Real communication happens when people feel safe.”
About
the Author: Elaine Morris is
principal consultant and founder of Sea Change Inc, an organizational
effectiveness firm based in the