Lena Reinhard’s Post

🌟 Fostering Accountability and Ownership: Building a Culture of Success🌟 In the dynamic landscape of modern workplaces, cultivating a culture of accountability and ownership is not just a nice-to-have – it's essential for driving organizational success and growth. But what exactly does it mean, and why is it so important? . . 🔸Defining Accountability and Ownership: Accountability and ownership go hand in hand, representing a shared commitment to taking responsibility for one's actions, decisions, and outcomes. In a culture of accountability, individuals hold themselves and each other answerable for their performance and contributions, while ownership entails taking initiative, ownership, and pride in one's work. . . 🔸Why it Matters: 1. Drive Performance: A culture of accountability and ownership fosters a high-performance mindset, where individuals are motivated to deliver their best work and exceed expectations. 2. Build Trust: When team members hold themselves accountable and take ownership of their work, trust flourishes within the organization. Trust forms the foundation of strong relationships and collaboration. 3. Foster Innovation: Empowered employees feel a sense of ownership over their work, leading to increased creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. 4. Enhance Adaptability:In a rapidly changing business environment, accountability and ownership enable organizations to adapt quickly to challenges and opportunities, driving agility and resilience. . . 🔸Strategies for Building a Culture of Accountability and Ownership: 1. Lead by Example: Leaders must model accountability and ownership in their actions and behaviors, setting the tone for the entire organization. 2. Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate goals, expectations, and performance standards to ensure alignment and clarity. 3. Provide Feedback and Recognition:Offer regular feedback and recognition to acknowledge efforts and achievements, reinforcing desired behaviors. 4. Empower Employees: Give employees the autonomy and authority to make decisions and take ownership of their work. 6. Encourage Collaboration: Foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork, where individuals support and hold each other accountable for collective goals. 7. Invest in Development: Provide opportunities for learning and development to equip employees with the skills and resources they need to succeed. . . By implementing these strategies and fostering a culture of accountability and ownership, organizations can create an environment where individuals feel empowered, engaged, and motivated to achieve their fullest potential. Together, let's build a culture of success! 💼💡 . . Love & Respect ♥️ Mohd Osama ______________ #AccountabilityCulture #OwnershipMindset #HighPerformanceTeams #OwnershipMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamAccountability #PerformanceExcellence #EmpoweredTeams #ContinuousImprovement #TrustAndTransparency #SuccessCulture #CollaborativeLeadership

How do you foster a culture of accountability? ✏️ Fostering a culture of accountability within a healthcare organization is paramount for ensuring patient safety, quality care delivery, and overall organizational success. As a healthcare executive, there are several strategies I would implement to cultivate a culture of accountability: 1. Lead by Example: As a leader, I understand the importance of modeling the behavior I expect from others. I consistently demonstrate accountability in my actions, decisions, and communication, setting a standard for all staff to follow. 2. Establish Clear Expectations: Clarity is key in fostering accountability. I ensure that roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations are clearly defined for all staff members. This includes establishing measurable goals and objectives tied to the organization's mission and values. 3. Provide Ongoing Feedback: Regular feedback is essential for employees to understand how their actions impact the organization and its goals. I implement a system of continuous feedback, including both praise for achievements and constructive criticism for areas needing improvement. 4. Promote a Speak-Up Culture: Encouraging open communication and transparency is critical for identifying and addressing issues promptly. I create an environment where staff feel comfortable speaking up about concerns, mistakes, or potential risks without fear of retribution. 5. Implement Performance Management Systems: Utilizing performance management systems can help track individual and team performance against established goals and metrics. I ensure that these systems are used effectively to identify areas for improvement and recognize exemplary performance. 6. Invest in Training and Development: Providing ongoing training and development opportunities not only enhances employee skills but also reinforces the importance of accountability. I invest in programs that focus on leadership development, communication skills, and ethical decision-making. 7. Establish Consequences for Non-Compliance: While it's important to recognize and reward accountability, it's equally important to address instances of non-compliance. I establish clear consequences for failing to meet expectations, ensuring accountability is upheld across all levels of the organization. 8. Celebrate Successes: Recognizing and celebrating achievements, both big and small, reinforces a culture of accountability and motivates employees to continue striving for excellence. I regularly celebrate successes and milestones, highlighting the contributions of individuals and teams. By implementing these strategies, I believe we can create a culture of accountability where every member of the team takes ownership of their actions, decisions, and outcomes, ultimately leading to improved productivity and organizational performance. #employeeculture #accountability #teamwork #ownership #peopleleader #leadership

How important is it that you trust those in management within your company? What is it like to work with someone with whom you have a high level of trust vs a low level of trust? Did you know that only 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization? Much of this distrust comes from either lack of communication or mixed messages regarding expectations and performance. A manager remains silent on an employee’s behavior until the annual performance review when the issue could have been addressed and corrected months earlier. This results in the employee wasting energy on second guessing their actions. Ask yourself what your level of trust is within your organization and how that affects you. 

So, before I talked about how I don't like "Annual Review" meetings because I think they're pointless, but I want to make sure it comes across that I don't think the people who are doing those reviews are trying to waste time or being evil or anything. The reality is that, as an organization grows, complications set in. Those complications necessitate some kind of solution and the "powers that be" try their best to solve the problems with the tools they have available. It's important to not put some kind of artificial "Us v. Them" when it comes to the nature of business. The leadership team rarely, if ever, wants the employees to fail. On the contrary, the leadership team needs the employees to be successful. The problems tend to come with the tools that management has in its toolbelt to fix problems. Sometimes, employee problems are caused by systems and sometimes by people. If the system is broken, then the team tries to find a way to fix that system, hopefully taking cues from those who are using the system. If people are causing issues, the leadership team can either remove the person or reform the person who is the issue. Removing a person is easier, but can cause morale issues and possibly legal issues. Putting systems in place to mitigate against a person issue can end up being a bit easier because it can fix the existing problem AND stop future issues from occurring. These changes can, however, lead to a lot of seemingly unnecessary red tape and cause negative morale. It's a bit of a Catch-22. My point is that we should give the leadership team a bit of a break. They're working with the toolbelt they have and they can't always do what the employees would want them to do. We shouldn't presume that the management team is against us just because barriers are being put up. Sometimes, you HAVE to put up barriers because employees took advantage of the lack of barriers.

I’m seeing an alarming trend among People Ops leaders at remote-first companies: getting stuck in an endless firefighting cycle. 🧯 I recently chatted with a VP of People and they told me, “Every day, I wake up to 35-50 DMs from managers asking for help with ad-hoc people problems.” This is far too common. I’ve heard this repeatedly from People leaders we work with. The sad part is: Most of the situations they’re getting pulled into are just difficult conversations that the manager is afraid to have. What I call "Level 1 issues." Scenario 1: Manager: “I have this problem with one person on my team, they keep doing <insert undesirable behavior>.” People Ops: “I see, are they aware of this?” Manager: “Nope.” People Ops: “Okay, let’s put this into your next 1:1 with them. I can help you write the script for it.” Scenario 2: Manager: “Hey, I think I need to let go of <insert employee name>. Their performance has been poor for a while now.” People Ops: “I see. Are they aware of this? Is this documented anywhere?” Manager: “Nope!” People Ops: "Okay, let's schedule a meeting with them and discuss their performance concerns. I can guide you through the conversation and help you document the discussion and any action items that arise." These conversations are HARD. They’re scary. It’s not the manager’s fault that they don’t know how to have them. It's natural to need help. But it ends up being People Ops’ job to do all this 1:1 coaching work. Which means no time for strategic People initiatives. How can you be expected to drive a revamp of the compensation philosophy when you’re in 1:1 coaching calls all day? Or lead the company’s transition to continuous performance evaluation instead of annual reviews? This is simply not sustainable. And there’s really only one long-term solution: Equip managers to be more self-reliant. They want this, and so do you. That way, they’re coming to you for Level 2 and 3 issues, not Level 1 issues. But of course this is easier said than done. If this is you, shoot me a DM. I’d love to see how we can help.

A critical skill for managers at all levels is to clearly flag their level of commitment to an idea. Otherwise, the people reporting to them will likely misunderstand how to engage with it. Part of the challenge of being in management is that your words have weight. The difficulty arises when you don’t realize what weight they have. I’ve heard repeatedly from managers about times they would casually mention a stray thought they were considering and two weeks later discover that their team had interpreted it as a decision they had made. People would sink considerable time and effort into working on something they disagreed with simply because they thought there was nothing further to discuss. On the flip side, I’ve also talked with managers who have struggled with employees who kept bringing up objections and alternatives even though they’d made a decision. The problem here is that the employees didn’t realize that the time for providing input for the decision was over, and it was time to figure out how to implement it. Both of these situations arise from managers needing to clarify with their people about where in their thought process they are. These managers sound the same when they’re brainstorming and when they’re announcing a decision. It’s no wonder that their employees get confused. Does this happen to you? Here are two things you can do to avoid this problem. First, develop stock phrases to “signpost” where you are in the decision-making process and your attachment to the ideas you’re putting out. These can be things like, “I’m just spitballing here” or “I haven’t thought much about this yet, so there are probably downsides to it,” for when you’re early in the process, and phrases like, “I’m pretty sure this is the direction we’re going” or “Unless someone gives me an excellent reason to not to by tomorrow, here’s what I’m going to do” for when you’re near the end. Use these regularly and train your people on what they mean. Another thing you can do is to ask people how committed they think you are to the idea. Saying something like, “I’m curious, on a scale of 1-10, how close to a decision do you think I am?” can allow you to correct misconceptions – and potentially save your people a lot of time and effort.

For the directors, VP’s and upper management out there. We’ve all heard the saying that people don’t leave companies they leave managers. It’s a process that has been discussed, rehashed, and explored in every professional services blog out there. If people aren’t aware of the dangers of a bad supervisor, manager, technical lead, or other executive by now it’s because they don’t want to know. So let’s take it a step deeper. Take a look at your regular employees. The daily staff that make the machine work. Those who log in day after day and do the low level grunt work. Among those you will see the averages, but you will also see two main types that stand out. One is the worker who is just putting in time and trying to make ends meet. They work just hard enough to not get fired and they try to sit in the shadows as much as possible. The other is your high performance worker. They arrive at stand up in the morning discussing the things they have started on that day. They have commit messages post randomly at night and pull requests showing up with them in the morning. They live what they do and it shows. When you have that aforementioned executive causing problems you won’t hear it from the person sitting in the shadows. They don’t want to draw attention they just want to get by. They have “please don’t notice me” written all over them. You will hear complaints from your high performers though. Because they love what they do and they believe they have the ability to create change and make things better. They are organized and come to you with specific grievances and examples. You hear this not from one person but from others as well. So what does the average VP, director, senior manager do? They call a get together to smooth things out. Everyone hold hands, do some trust falls, say your sorry, and sing Kumbaya. Does this fix the problem? Is the manager’s behavior going to change? Is that high performer going to bring this up again? No, of course not. They just learned that their opinion doesn’t matter, that they can’t talk to you, can’t trust you, and aren’t taken seriously. The problematic manager behavior continues and they have learned to keep quiet about it. So the average director, VP, executive moves on thinking all is well. We did our team building activity and there have been no more complaints. Everything is running smooth. There also haven’t been any more late night commit messages. And now the high performers are worried about their jobs. So they sit in the shadows and they start looking for that next job. Before long all you have is shadow people working just hard enough to not get fired. One guy left to another job. Another guy is now having some family issues. Another is taking some mental health leave. Another is taking a hard look at that shotgun barrel. Peoples lives are real and at risk. But at least that one manager didn’t have to move over somewhere else. Listen, take it seriously, and act. 22

The cheapest trick in the management handbook is probably creating an “us vs them” situation. However this "us vs. them" management style is both harmful and counterproductive. Here's why it's problematic and how to identify it: - It Breeds Resentment: Dividing different employees or teams into opposing factions creates animosity. - Kills Collaboration: This mentality shuts down open communication and problem-solving. Employees are less likely to share ideas or help each other. - Destroys Morale: Negative emotions towards one’s colleagues damage motivation and job satisfaction. This often leads to low productivity and increased turnover. - Focuses on Blame: An "us vs. them" environment seeks to find scapegoats instead of addressing the root cause of problems. This prevents real learning and improvement. Here are some signs of an "Us vs. Them" Manager: - Lack of Transparency: Decisions are made behind closed doors, without explanation or input from employees. - Withholds Information: Managers purposely limit employee access to knowledge or resources seen as a source of power. - Defensiveness: Instead of listening to feedback, the manager focuses on justifying their actions or shifting blame to others. - Creating Cliques: The manager shows favoritism towards certain employees, creating an "in-group" and making others feel excluded. - Dismissive of Concerns: Employee issues and complaints are minimized or ignored, fostering a feeling that their opinions don't matter. What Leaders Should Do Instead: - Build Trust: Encourage open communication and honesty. Employees should feel they can raise concerns and suggestions without fear of backlash. - Transparency: Explain decisions and the reasoning behind them. Involve employees in decision-making processes whenever possible. - Empathy: Understand and acknowledge employee perspectives. Show genuine interest in their growth and well-being within the company. - Team Mindset: Celebrate successes collectively and analyze failures as an opportunity to improve as a team. - Accountability: Leaders must own mistakes and focus on finding solutions rather than assigning blame. - Keep in mind: Great leaders create environments where everyone feels valued, respected, and like part of a shared goal. "Us vs. them" destroys this, while collaboration and respect allow everyone to thrive. Disclaimer: Parts of this post were written by #Gemini #Advanced. The post in it’s entirety has been checked for accuracy and consistency by a human.

I have a lot to say on this point, but to summarize: The problem with the way a lot of organizations do what they call performance management is that it’s designed for the lowest common denominator, which is to say, they’re trying to find a way to offload employees that they don’t like for one reason or another while avoiding lawsuits. This creates two very important problems, both of which are lethal to the organization’s long-term cultural success. First, this enables the organization to maintain what are likely terrible recruiting and hiring practices. These are often based on “knowing the right kind of person when we see them,” and not on an agreed-upon set of behavioral standards founded in the organization’s core values (to be fair, a lot of organizations can’t tell you what their core values are). Instead, we look for people who seem like they might be a fit (too often based solely on their skills or past experience) and then are somehow surprised when they don’t behave in expected ways. Second, the basing of your performance management system simply on the need to document negative behaviors leaves an obvious, glaring gap: your good employees. We all too often assume that the “high performers” just know that they are doing well and WHAT they are doing well. This may be so for quantitative measurables, but the things that are important to driving true success, which are usually non-measurable behaviors, go unaddressed, unrecognized or uncorrected in cases where they need to be. This is a sink for morale and motivation as, over time, those who begin with enthusiasm and purpose get burned out because they lose contact with how their contribution matters. A strong system of performance management must be more than a 1-5 star rating at the end of the year where no other conversations have taken place. It should not be tied to compensation and it should be separated in every way from the documentation and corrective process. To close: when is the last time you had a performance conversation with your manager that wasn’t an end of the year post mortem? And if you’re managing people, when is the last time you had such a conversation with them? Leaders, we can and must do better. #organizationalhealth #theadvantage #tablegroup #workinggenius #performancemanagement