Corporate Training

Building Leadership Accountability and Commitment

It is a dual responsibility—of the requester and
the committer—to agree on the
what, when, and how of the agreement.

Are you frustrated by departments that won't get behind your initiative?

Do you have managers passively resisting?

Is your organization frequently in overload?

Overview

"That’s not my job... I can’t do that. I just don’t have the authority…Susan’s the one who really let us down on this project… I said I would do that, but just never got to it. Sorry… I’m confused. Tell me what you want me to do again.” These are just some of the phrases managers use in organizations which signal excuses, blaming, defensiveness, and finger pointing. The results are missed deadlines, cost overruns, project strife, high employee turnover, and unmet goals.

Building Leadership Accountability and Commitment uses the 7 ground rules for communication as the centerpiece for a framework that builds accountability, listening, initiative, and commitments. Using, small group discussions, self-critiques, and case studies class members increase personal awareness and apply concepts to real work applications.

When organizations have a culture of accountability and commitment, the tables turn. Leaders and their teams achieve their key results, customers smile, and employees are motivated and empowered. Employees go back to work, change the way they work, and know why their new behaviors are successful. Software development projects put difficult challenges on the table, solve them together, and then execute with ease. Instead of hiding problems under the table for fear of retribution, employees raise issues, offer solutions, and take action. Managers and employees understand and complete agreements. Together the team organizations can meet big goals.

Benefits

Participants will learn how to

Shift attitudes from blame and defensiveness to being accountable and taking initiative

Understand the behaviors of Listening Intentionally and know how to “listen for” vs. “against” someone

Be able to make clear, complete requests

Give and recognize authentic commitments

Build accountability within teams and across functional groups

Move from looking at "what is on my desk" to understanding the complete product and how to get results for the whole.

Length: 2 days with 2 instructors; includes business case customized to your needs

Participants: up to 25 participants. It can be used for intact teams, cross functional teams, or division-wide in an organization.

Tool Example: Dual Responsibilities PowerPoint.

Seminar Outline

This course was co-developed by Linda Rodgers and Shelley Sweet.

The Language of Accountability

Seven critical rules and scripts for building accountable communication

How beliefs impact assumptions

How to have both internal and external accountability

Being Accountable

The Blame Game

Recognizing when you’re a victim

Taking Initiative

6 steps on the initiative wheel

How to get back on the wheel when you fall off

Moving from feeling powerless to getting results

Listening Intentionally

Listening For/ Against

Listening Up/ Drilling Down

Self- Monitoring Triggers

Managing Commitments

Building dual responsibility into commitments

The dialog between the requester and committer

Making Requests

Your contribution to making a clear request

How assumptions cloud requests

Giving Commitments

How to make commitments you will keep

Recognizing a true commitment from a half-hearted one

What to do when others make commitments for you

Clearing Up Breakdowns

Using an approach to resolve breakdowns in agreed upon commitments

Getting out of the defensive loop

Appreciation

Participant Testimonials

"This class helped me to be a more effective leader and coach. And I use the self-monitoring triggers to stay out of victim mode." Vice President, Product Development, software development company

"Managing commitments really helped with the ongoing execution in the agile software development process."

"Don't assume it is someone else's responsibility to be accountable."

"Learned to see my victim mode by using the self-monitoring triggers…gets me to being accountable faster."

"The importance of reflection and adjustment even after the first action is crucial to taking initiative."

"I learned to not make assumptions. Assuming too much on my part led to a breakdown in a recent assignment."

"Very insightful…made me think about making requests in a different order to get a different result."

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