Ask Coach: How Do I Get My IT Solutions Provider's Employees To Take Ownership Of Responsibilities?
By Hardin Byars, executive coach with HTG Peer Groups
Question: How do I get people to step up and take ownership of responsibilities so I can get out of the middle of things?
Coach: That’s a great question, and worth answering because it will free you up to focus on your highest priorities. However, to provide an enduring solution requires that we focus on the root cause and not just on a symptom. So, let’s dig in.
If employees are not stepping up to take on responsibility and be accountable for their actions, it is most often a result of the culture in which they operate.
A wise mentor of mine once suggested that “We cultivate what we celebrate.” Accordingly, the first question I would ask is, what does your company culture teach about taking initiative? Said differently, how do you respond when someone takes a calculated risk? How do you respond when they do so … and are wrong? Do we say that mistakes are an acceptable part of the learning process yet our behavior indicates we expect more?
A safe environment for taking appropriate risk is essential for people to feel comfortable accepting personal ownership of new undertakings. We have to be especially careful that our actions don’t inadvertently contradict the values we are trying to promote.
As the primary steward of the company culture, ask yourself the hard question: What do my actions, not my words, teach employees about taking personal initiative and owning responsibility for the outcome?
If you are satisfied that your company culture is supportive, then you have to examine the make-up of your staff.
Ask the following questions:
- Do I have clarity on what success looks like?
- What personal characteristics indicate a capacity to take on responsibility?
- Who in our organization has those characteristics and what am I doing to develop their capacity?
- Does our selection process for new hires include an evaluation of a candidate’s capacity for taking responsibility and being accountable?
Lastly, if your culture has produced the right environment; if you have the right people and are investing in their development; then, we may be at that place that gave rise to playwright George Bernard Shaw’s observation about communication. “The biggest problem with communication,” he said “is the illusion that it has actually taken place.”
Dog-gone-it, now we have to go stare into that mirror again and ask if we have been effectively communicating our expectations. But that is a topic for another day.
Hardin Byars is an executive coach with HTG Peer Groups where he is most energized by helping CEOs apply their God-given talent to achieve their potential and create business value. He also advises senior executives on strategic planning and organizational development to drive sustainable growth. Prior to his affiliation with HTG, Hardin was CEO of Intellinet, a nationally managed Microsoft partner focused on maximizing the business value of corporate IT investments. You can reach him at hbyars@htgpeergroups.com.