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In 60 Seconds ~ October 2009

What's New

FREE Monthly Webinars!

Click here for more information on our next free monthly webinar
November 6, 2009.

Click here to read the first chapter of Kathleen's New Book
Leadership by Engagement!

Click here to visit our store to purchase Leadership by Engagement.

LeaderTalk
E-Book Available Now!
Download your free copy of LeaderTalk: Insights from the Outside. Featuring the highly read Mentor Minute articles from 2008 plus a host of bonuses from our expert contributors, this 32 page book is packed with leadership ideas worth sharing.

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Accountability for Engagement - Clarify the Culture

Do you have the right to hire someone for a job and then hold them accountable to do it? What is your culture regarding accountability?

Hard working employees are more engaged when the leader rewards good performance and deals appropriately with deficits in performance. Dynamic, committed, productive people want to work with people like themselves. Don’t you?

Engagement research states that employers who are able to manage performance issues create a greater sense of engagement and therefore productivity on their team. No surprise. The surprise lies in how many leaders struggle with this issue.

Here are 3 key questions to help you determine your Accountability Culture.

How effective are we at:

Clarifying Performance Expectations in tangible, measurable terms?
Creating a positive consequence for a person who meets or exceeds performance expectations?
Dealing with the person who does not meet performance expectations in one or more aspects of their job?

Lack of consequence, positive or negative, breeds mediocrity or in other words, disengagement. Engaged people equal engaged workplaces brimming with energy, focus and results.

Intentional Act of Character

John Walker, Dean of the Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts at George Brown College, a tremendously successful and bustling school, decided to put the issue of accountability squarely on the table with his leadership team.

John started the journey by clarifying the definition of accountability, as determined by each person. Things are going well, but how are they doing in holding themselves accountable and secondly, their team members?

The challenge, as is commonly the case, was consistency in the fundamental three issues, clarifying expectations, how to appropriately reward the right behaviour and the approach to performance deficits.

The team, through a series of candid and courageous discussions and exercises, created their Rules of Engagement/10 Promises, for themselves as a team and in their key interactions with direct reports.

Developing their 10 Promises was only the start. Implementation and measurement was next item on the agenda.

The team decided to cite two or three successes in implementing the 10 Promises at each team meeting. One implementation challenge is raised per meeting with a brief problem solving discussion.

John says “I believe that keeping the 10 Promises is a way to highlight our accountability to each other. These actions are important to build trust and for the success of our team. I broach the topic at every possible opportunity, in meetings and one to one conversations. I am starting to see our leaders, who are especially busy this time of year, incorporate the promises into their day to day work. We will formally measure our progress within a couple of months.”

John Walker

FREE Monthly Webinars!
Click here for more information on our next free monthly webinar November 6, 2009.

"I am grateful to Kathleen and the team for facilitating the Webinar sessions. The presentation of information and the forum to discuss ideas with other leaders is a great opportunity. I would encourage everyone to join in the Webinars. There is valuable information that will challenge us all to examine ourselves and to become better leaders."

Ginene McSwain
International CMS Solutions Director
FRONTLINE FOCUS INTERNATIONAL INC.

Call today to discuss leadership training, coaching and engagement assessment tools.
905.478.7962 ~ Toll Free 888.270.4205

Wishing you a wonderful autumn,

Lois Tori, Don Cousens,
John Rogers, Fred Faber
and Rick Dominico