{"id":7353,"date":"2021-10-27T01:48:15","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T08:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=7353"},"modified":"2024-07-10T14:52:59","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T21:52:59","slug":"how-to-hold-employees-accountable-without-micromanaging-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2021\/10\/27\/how-to-hold-employees-accountable-without-micromanaging-them\/","title":{"rendered":"How to hold employees accountable without micromanaging them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yes, it’s possible. Here are 9 practices for how to increase team accountability without squashing your team morale.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you’re a leader who wants the best outcomes, the natural question to ask is:  \u201cHow to hold employees accountable without micromanaging them?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this question can feel complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as you want your team to be more accountable, you\u2019ve never been eager to play “bad cop.” The last thing you want to do is become “that<\/em> micromanager<\/a>,” getting people’s nerves by checking in with people incessantly and scrupulously enforcing deadlines. After all, when did the role of a leader<\/a> become the role of a taskmaster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simultaneously, you feel the swirl of work \u2013 the pace, the volume of it \u2013 consuming you and your team. You wonder if you even have another option than to become<\/em> “that micromanager.” Someone makes a mistake. Someone misses a deadline… Those incidents aren’t going to cut it if you’re going to get to where you want to go as a team. Though you don’t relish in the role, how else are you supposed to keep your team accountable without cracking the proverbial whip?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another option does exist. It is<\/em> possible to keep your team accountable without micromanaging them \u2013 and with no proverbial whips cracked \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How, exactly? Here are some practices for how to hold employees without micromanaging them\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 practices for how to hold employees accountable without micromanaging them.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DO NOT:  Perpetuate interruption cycle.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“What’s the status on this?” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It feels like a harmless question. And hey, as a leader, you need to know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, lighting up the @Mentions in Slack or overloading the email inbox only annoys \u2013 it doesn\u2019t motivate. You can only imagine the feeling of dread you instigate when every single touchpoint of communication you have with a team is:  \u201cWhat\u2019s the status on this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is it burdensome, but it also wrecks productivity. Every time you ask for a status update from your team, you interrupt the flow of work. Countless times have I had employees begrudgingly confide in me: “I spend more time preparing and writing status reports to my boss than doing the work itself.<\/em>” Ouch. Could this likely be the case for your own team?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short:\u00a0 Every time you send “What’s the status on this?” at random times and expect an immediate response, you perpetuate a cycle of interruption that throws a wrench into productivity and reduces team morale<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of encouraging this rampant cycle of interruption, know that you can hit PAUSE before sending the “What’s the status on X?” ping, and do this instead…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DO:  Ask and answer the question:  \u201cHow will we know we will have been successful?\u201d  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It feels obvious:  As leaders, we should establish what \u201csuccess\u201d looks like, from the start and circle back to communicate that picture of success, throughout the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, according to Gallup<\/a> only about half of all employees strongly indicate that they know what is expected of them at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait, hold up. What\u2019s going on here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We as managers think<\/em> that expectations are clear \u2013 but employees don\u2019t find them clear at all. A gap exists between our own internalization<\/em> of expectations versus the reality<\/em> of how well we communicate those expectations. Simply put:  We don\u2019t communicate a picture of success clearly, strongly, and often enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, a good pulse-check on how well you\u2019re doing this as leaders is to ask your team members, during each of your one-on-one meetings (which we cover in depth in Canopy<\/a>), a few of the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n