Can you count on those around you?   In our work, leaders often complain that “He/she/they just aren’t doing what I asked them to do”.  Alongside the content, usually comes a big dose of emotion – which can be anything from anger to resignation, from frustration to despair.   In the wider world, the term accountability appears often in the news. Almost always the implication of the term in this context is that people should lose their job, or even their liberty, if they fail to deliver what is expected.   But is this what accountability really means? Are we just talking about something punitive, a big stick that is held over others (or ourselves) to ensure that we do what we are supposed to? Personally, this approach to accountability is likely to make me perform less well – not better.   People in organisations are required to deliver things as part of their roles. How can we ensure that they make the changes necessary in order to do so?
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