Page 266 - Fearless Leadership

Holding Each Other Accountable 253

nomic downturn.” And so the conversation went, in circles. The executive
wanted to understand why and the direct report provided “good reasons.”
The discussion of accepting reasons in place of results deserves further
exploration. In Chapter 7 we discussed how a good reason is not a result.
Let’s build on this and add how holding people accountable requires that
we eliminate reasons and replace them with results.
As we discussed, many leaders rely on “why” questions when they are deal-
ing with performance or behavioral issues. They believe that if all parties
understand why the behavior is occurring, it can somehow be resolved. This
is based on the presumption that by uncovering the reason for the dilemma,
the problem can be logically addressed and rectified. Unfortunately, “why”
questions elicit “good reasons” that bring us back to the business-as-usual
formula: no result plus a “good reason” equals the result.
When reasons and results are treated as interchangeable, nothing is
accomplished. The conversation focuses on why things did not happen,
and the results become lost. For example, the question “Why didn’t the
technology group advise us of this problem sooner?” puts the focus on who
or what caused the problem. But no matter how much time you spend
analyzing and rehashing what happened, the bottom line is you still do
not have a result.
In order to deal effectively with behavior, you must separate the result
from the reason. It cannot be said enough: the result is the result, not the
reason.
This brings us to the all-important agreement of committed partners:
holding themselves and others accountable. Let’s start with the question
“Where are you placing accountability?” Do you accept accountability for
solving problems by pleading with others to change their behavior, or do
you place accountability on others to change their behavior and deliver
the results?
You may be unknowingly contributing to a “good reason–no result”
environment by not consistently holding others accountable. Are you ask-
ing such questions as “Why did this happen?” or “Why wasn’t action taken
to prevent this from happening?” These questions are useful in analyzing
a breakdown, but they are not useful in holding people personally account-
able for performance and results. You must refocus the conversation on
their accountability and their commitment to change their behavior.