Throw in the influence of others, and the story starts to reflect the complexity of what’s really going on. The fact that social forces are likely to be a huge part of any infraction doesn’t escape a savvy problem solver. Only a fool purposely pits people against their desire to belong, feel respected, and be included with their friends and colleagues. Understanding the influence of others is a prerequisite to effective accountability.
Finally, if we really want to step into the ranks of those who master accountability, we need to consider the structural factors, or things, surrounding a violated promise. This isn’t intuitive. In fact, rare is the parent or leader who looks at either the reward structure or other environmental factors when trying to diagnose the root cause of a behavior. Learn how to do this, and you’ll be in a class of your own.
Use the Six Sources of Influence
Combined, these six distinct and powerful sources make up the Six-Source Model, a diagnostic and influence tool that was illustrated earlier in this chapter.
How About Our Software-Testing Friends?
What actually caused the software problem during final assembly? Several of the forces contained in our model played a role:
• A supervisor had been sent to the scene, where she learned that the programmers were unfamiliar with the latest version of the testing software (personal ability).
• The supervisor had offered to obtain a tutorial, but the material was located across town at headquarters (structural ability). The team leader said he’d get it, but didn’t (social ability).
• The team leader never received the material because he was stopped in the hallway, where he was told to prepare for a “walk-by” from a big boss from headquarters (social motive).
Did the code writers skip the testing because they didn’t like doing it? That could have been the case, but it wasn’t. Consequently, if the managers had punished the operators for not being motivated, it wouldn’t have remedied any of the underlying causes and most certainly would have caused resentment.
One Final Comment
The best leaders and parents aren’t lax with accountability, nor do they let themselves stew in a stupor of self-loathing. If the other person does turn out to be at fault, those who are masters of accountability step up to and handle the failed promise. In fact, we’ll explore how to do exactly that in later chapters.
For now we’re merely trying to work on our first thought, our first look into a possible infraction, and the tone that follows. We’re learning to fight our natural tendency to assume the worst of others and replace it with genuine curiosity to ensure that our first words and deeds create a healthy climate for ourselves and others. When we tell the rest of the story, we do exactly that.
Master My Stories
Now we’ve selected a violated expectation and thought about the surrounding circumstances in a way that puts us in the best state of mind. In short, we’ve learned how to master our stories by seeking out all the possible sources of influences that affect the problem.
• Master my stories. The second step in the model also takes place before you actually speak. As you approach an accountability discussion, take care you don’t establish a horrible climate by charging in half-informed and half-cocked. To avoid this costly mistake, work on your own thoughts, feelings, and stories before you utter a word.
• Tell the rest of the story. Ask why a reasonable, rational, and decent person would do what you’ve just seen as well as if you yourself are playing a role in the problem.
• Look at all six sources of influence. Examine personal, social, and structural sources — all either motivate or enable others to keep their commitment.
• Expand motive to include the influence of others. Do others praise and support the desired behavior, or do they provide pressure against it? Is the reward system aligned? If people do what’s required, will they receive a reward or punishment?
• Finally, add ability. Can others do what’s required? Does the requisite task play to their strength or weakness? Are people around them a help or a hindrance? Do the things around them provide a bridge or a barrier?
What’s Next?
Now that we’re fully prepared, it’s time to open our mouths and talk about the violated promise. How do we first talk about the infraction we’ve observed? What should be the first words out of our mouths? Let’s take a look.
Part Two
Create Safety
What to Do During an Accountability Crucial Conversation
When you create enough safety, you can talk to almost anyone about almost anything. As those who are masters of accountability move from thinking to talking, here’s how they create safety:
• They begin well. They know how to describe a performance gap in a way that makes it safe for others to talk about with them (Chapter 3, “Describe the Gap”).
• They know how to help others prioritize competing demands, and they know how to discipline when necessary (Chapter 4, “Make It Motivating”).
• They also know how to help others deal with ability barriers by jointly exploring solutions. They help others comply by making compliance easier. They understand the underlying principles of empowerment (Chapter 5, “Make It Easy”).
• Finally, they also know how to deal with unexpected problems or emotions that may come up during an accountability discussion (Chapter 6, “Stay Focused and Flexible”).
3
Describe the Gap
How to Start an Accountability Crucial Conversation
Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.
— AMBROSE BIERCE
You’ve picked out a broken commitment, decided to say something, and considered the six possible sources of influence behind it; now you are about to say something. Before you do that, let’s be clear. Almost nobody should be harboring the illusion that he or she has been groomed to solve touchy and complicated accountability challenges. Almost nobody has.
Here’s a typical supervisory training regime. A hardworking and competent employee is tapped on the shoulder on Friday afternoon (“Congratulations, you won the supervisory lottery!”) and promoted to a job that starts Monday morning. Any questions? And it’s not as if most employees have actually watched the way a leader deals with touchy issues or failed promises. That kind of thing happens behind closed doors.
Of course, business schools, the breeding ground for managers and vice presidents, rarely teach anything about face-to-face leadership. Most business school courses are about management and entrepreneurship, not leadership. Occasionally classes cover the way leaders should think but almost never what they should do. The curriculum certainly doesn’t cover accountability discussions. Professors and students routinely encounter violated expectations, but almost nobody teaches how to handle them.