Engaged Leadership

Accountability: A powerful leadership tool

Accountability can be a very powerful tool, however it can also be a double edge sword. The importance of holding personnel accountable for their actions and decisions cannot be understated, but used incorrectly it can become a morale/motivation killer. The reality of how accountability is used and viewed in an organization begins with the leader. Do you want accountability to be viewed as a form of punishment, or an honor?

Accountability is a key component of leadership, but so is autonomy. Allowing your personnel to make risky decisions is part of allowing them to assert and practice their leadership skills. However, if they are afraid they will be criticized or disciplined for every decision they make they will no longer feel comfortable in making decisions. Creating a culture where decisions are looked at and learned from is the key to accountability. Giving personnel a solid foundation for decision making is also important. That foundation comes in the form of mission and value statements, and department goals. All forms of accountability should be based on the organizations mission and value statements.

A more in depth look reveals context is an important component to how accountability is viewed in your organization. When you state to someone “I will hold you accountable”, the tone indicates that someone is getting in trouble for their actions or lack thereof. It goes along with a leader constantly stating, “I will hold them accountable for their actions”. This is essentially telling the personnel you are waiting for them to make a mistake so you can discipline them. Ultimately, fear will overtake your personnel. Fear in any culture is a destroyer of progress.

Stating to someone, “You have accountability for the project” would indicate the person is ultimately in charge and may give them a sense of ownership. This is a great leadership tool, as long as it is accompanied with expectations. Accountability without expectations can lead to failure. Without expectations employees do not know what they are accountable for, and the supervisor has no means to measure accountability. Expectations can also help relieve any fear or stress a person may have about the project, as it has more of a connotation of tracking successes.

I have found accountability with expectations can also serve as a vehicle to strengthen relations with the department. When personnel are held accountable and successes are highlighted through expectations, a trust bond can be formed and working relations are strengthened.

The bottom line is accountability can equal success for the individual and for the organization. Organizational leaders need to make a conscious decision about the culture of accountability in their organization, and act accordingly. The first thought about accountability should never be that of punishment for how a person does or does not perform. When disciplinary actions become necessary, let job descriptions guide leaders into ensuring personnel are performing appropriately.

Organizational leaders need to be constantly vigilant about how their leadership tools are being viewed. Every tool a leader has can be viewed as a positive or negative. It all depends on how the leader implements the tool. It is also important that the leader uses the tool in the same manor they speak about the tool. Caution should be taken not to create confusion, especially about accountability. Confusion will only lead to a negative culture. Accountability can and should be used as a powerful tool of success for leaders and their personnel.

The fire service is littered with great leaders and mentors. We are amazing at responding to the calls for service from our communities. However, we are not as good at being proactive in regards to creating value for our departments with our community members. It has been my experience that people want five things from their local municipality. They want: fresh water, electricity, garbage and waste water taken away, a feeling of safety and security, and finally they want their tax dollars spent wisely.

The fire service has responsibility in spending tax dollars wisely, and providing safety and security. Most citizens know we are here for them, but they do not think about what we do for them on a regular basis. Therefore, there is no immediate value for us. They appreciate, and even admire us, but that does not equate to value. Every time a citizens flips a light switch, turns on a water tap, or flushes a toilet value is created for the department providing those services. We can create the same type of value by engaging our public to let them know who we are, what we are about, and I believe most importantly why we do what we do.

Social media seems to be the vehicle of choice for engaging our community, but there are so many other ways to become involved. What we need to do is look for opportunities to open the lines of communication. Great communication alone can be a powerful tool to create value for your department. One of my favorite quotes is from Theodore Roosevelt “nobody cares what you know, until they know you care”. Engaging the public is a means to let the community know you are not just a 911 service, but a part of the community. Being a part of the community equal value.

You may ask; why is creating value so important? My assertion is that we often wait until we need something more from our community to really get out and educate them. At this point, we are doing what we are best at……..being reactive. A much better approach is to be proactive by befriending the community and educating them prior to needing more from them. Let the community make a decisions based on passive education, not forceful see it my way education. I have long had the goal that I want the community to say “That is my fire department, not just that is Lehi fire department”. Ownership is a large part of engaging the community.