It is safe to say that the best employers want to foster a culture of accountability in the workplace. In light of the current health and economic crisis it is imperative that organizations continue to boost employee morale, keep their focus on the business results and hold them accountable for their deliverables.

Accountability in business can, though, sometimes feel like an unattainable standard, a light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel full of business challenges and disengaged employees that hinder the organization’s growth.

But have you ever measured if your business is accountable enough?

In a recent webcast by People Matters and DOOR International Southeast Asia, Ricardo Lillo,  President & CEO, DOOR International B.V., a thought leader, and a well-known keynote speaker shared why workplace accountability is a critical force in managing talent amidst the ongoing pandemic. DOOR International is the global authorized representative of Partners In Leadership.

Millions of employees are working from home for the first time, as the world tackles Covid-19. And with work from home becoming the new normal for employees across the world, many have mixed reactions to this new work location-home. Some complaint of intrusive bosses who cannot believe their employees can be trusted to work from home; some are distracted by family members or find it difficult to focus, while few are experiencing a feeling of self-isolation.

So how do you keep your employees happy and motivated until the situation gets better?

Accountability, as shared by Ricardo Lillo, is one of the most crucial factors in maintaining a harmonious and trusting relationship between an employer and an employee during a crisis mode. To explain it better, Ricardo shared a 10-80-10 Principle.

According to the 10-80-10 principle, during a crisis mode,

• 10% of our employees, during a crisis, go into a panic mode, freak out and makes things worst.
• 80% get into a stunned mode and while they acknowledge the emergence of a crisis and get into a state of confusion, helplessness and aren’t clear about their actions. They will wait for help to come.
• The remaining 10% happen to be in the create mode which during the crisis, they are calm, measured, tend to go against the wave and see opportunities to innovate and do something about the situation.

As leaders, we need to shift the percentage of 80% percent of stunned employees to create mode. And, hence when in crisis, the ability to facilitate movement, in the needed direction, and have people feel good about it, is what defines leadership.

So how does ‘Accountability’ come into the picture?

Accountability is the behavioral aspect that a leader would need to inculcate in an attempt to move the 80% of the employees to create mode. Without forgetting that it is a personal choice to rise about the circumstances and deliver the expected results.

During the webcast, Ricardo shared the OZ Principle definition of Accountability. This model was developed by Partners In Leadership, the premier company in the area of Culture of Accountability. They call this model “The Steps to Accountability”.

Step1: See it,  is the first step Above The Line and often the most difficult to take. It is the willingness to acknowledge reality.

Step-2: Own it, is a choice to be involved and personally engaged in delivering results.

Step-3: Do it, is a commitment to ask, “What else can I do?

Step-4: Solve it, it is a choice to follow through and execute on commitments made.

How do you go about moving 80% of the stunned population to create mode?

So, once you acknowledge the importance of accountability and follow the four-step model of accountability, it is time to put your new definition of leadership in action- Moving employees from ‘stunned mode’ to ‘create mode’.

Ricardo shared the Results Pyramid, which is a registered trademark of Partners In Leadership. 

The Results Pyramid is a model that explains why people do what they do at the workplace. We invite leaders to use this model and focus on a three-step process to get your employees to create, be engaged and respond to the new normal of working from home and the surrounding uncertainties:

Step 1- Action: Be visible. Over-communicate. Make the “Why” compelling.

Step 2- Beliefs: Shape beliefs in every meeting as it will influence people to make decisions and respond to the uncertainty.

Step 3: Experiences: Create experiences for your employees that will solidify the beliefs that you want them to have.

Work from home has become the new normal for businesses today. Leaders need to help employees and supervisors embrace it in meaningful, measurable ways. Demonstrating accountability is a great place to begin.