Accountability is the key to success!
Holding everyone in the organization accountable for their part in strategy implementation is essential for success. In defining individual accountability, there are three questions to consider:
1. Which tasks or objectives is this individual responsible for?
2. To whom is the individual accountable?
3. Which unit owns this initiative?
In high-performing organizations, all initiatives and strategic goals are cascaded throughout the organization. Each unit defines its goals and initiatives, assigns accountability to individuals, and tracks their progress. This keeps the initiative going despite urgent daily matters.
Strategic accountability is carefully delineated, and its progress tracked. Transparency is the key to each accountable individual understanding their part in meeting the organization’s goals. Accountability requires the same rigor as in financial budgeting: if assigned tasks are not completed on time, they “turn red” as in an accounting ledger when funds are overdrawn.