A few years back I had the privilege of interviewing Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus at Southwest Airlines and chief nurturer of their famed culture. She has since become a treasured friend. You can watch that interview here. Colleen has mentioned that she is as good a follower as she is a leader. During our interview,…
Inspiring coaches get creative with scoreboards while keeping them relevant to the employees they are managing. For example, Stephen Mansfield, CEO of Methodist Health System in Dallas, has a handy technique to keep his team focused and accountable. His scorecard is literally just that—an index card. Mansfield says, “I have a little handwritten index card…
Your scoreboard doesn’t have to be a lackluster summary of your monthly business report showing key measures. It’s a chance to be creative and visual with your team. Use your scoreboard to tell a clear and compelling story in as few words and numbers as possible. Consider some of these scoreboard formats: Visual thermometer with…
Have you ever noticed the intensity difference when you play a game for fun compared to “playing for keeps”? Our family and friends frequently play Ping-Pong in our game room. It’s a fun and easy game for all ages. When the players are just warming up, you notice their relaxed stance, the slow rhythmic sound…
Video of ullRbAv2hUY Creating accountability is one of the most common challenges for leaders of organizations, teams, communities and families. Whether you lead many or you lead only yourself, accountability for results separates the best from the rest. I hear the word accountability spoken dozens of times during planning sessions with my clients. It is something…
“How do I boost accountability on my team?” This is the most pervasive question being asked by leaders in both startups and in Fortune 500 companies alike. The term accountability is tossed around so frequently without any supporting actions that it is losing its meaning. I often hear my client executives say, “Let’s keep him accountable…
Ambiguity is the Achilles Heel of accountability. To boost accountability, you must be specific – even more specific than you think you need to be. When specificity goes up things like miscommunication, rework and frustration all go down. Accountability is also a two-way street. We can’t expect our team to be accountable to us unless…
Do you want to finish strong in 2017? If you want great results by the end of this year, boost accountability today. Unfortunately, accountability is like rain. Everyone knows it’s good for you, but no one wants to get wet! The term “accountability” is frequently used without supporting actions, so it loses its meaning within organizations.…
Excellent leaders help their teams by clearly and specifically defining the actions, timing and results they expect from others and from themselves. For each member of your team, make certain you communicate the 3W’s (What, Who and When). We use a very similar format with our coaching clients to help them drive millions of dollars…
We tend to think of consequences with respect to the short term – the immediate impact of our performance (positive or negative). That’s the easy part of defining specific consequences. But it still leaves a lot to the imagination. As the circle of consequences below illustrates, we need to help employees see and understand the longer term,…
