5-Question Quiz: Does Your Company Have a Culture of Accountability?

Do you think your business has a strong culture of accountability?  Do people feel proud to work there and committed to getting things done? Do you think employees clearly know what is expected of them and how their performance will be rewarded?   

A Strong Culture of Accountability Can Change Everything

Take the Quiz

Answer this 5-question quiz and find out how strongly a sense of accountability permeates your business.
1. If a direct report comes to you and explains that she was unable to complete an assigned task because somebody else did not complete theirs, you:

1. Thank her for the update and extend her deadline
2. Step in, take the task away from her, and complete it on her behalf
3. Tell her that you will call the other person to find out what happened and take care of it
4. Tell her that that is not a valid excuse and that she should have foreseen the potential issue and help resolve it

2. If you find out that a direct report said he had completed a key task for a client, but he did not, you:

1. Tell him that he still needs to complete it
2. Explain that lying to his manager and to the client is unacceptable behavior that has compromised the client relationship, and let him go from the project or the company
3. Develop a system of checks and balances so other people cannot do the same later on
4. Warn the employee that this is not good behavior and that this is a warning

 
3. A financial compliance audit has just been completed in your organization and the report contains several issues, you:

1. Are surprised because you thought everything was being done as expected
2. Suspected it but did not know the extent of it
3. Knew this was going to happen and you are already working on resolving the issues
4. Immediately call your direct reports and try to find out why these things happened

 
4. An information security breach has occurred in your organization and client information has been compromised, you:

1. Are alerted by an invitation to a crisis management meeting
2. Read about this in the newspaper
3. Find out about this from a client
4. Are alerted by the people responsible and told that a mitigation plan is already being executed

 
5. Your boss is suddenly terminated and you are asked to step in and take care of things until further notice, you:

1. Are worried that quality and performance will suffer and that people will start leaving
2. Immediately call a meeting with the managers to talk about how to move forward
3. Are informed by the managers that things are moving forward and that they will report on issues as needed
4. Start looking for another job 

Turn a Lack of Accountability into a Strong Accountability Culture

Learn Your Results

Now, add up your points with this table: 

 
If you scored 15 or higher:
Your business has mastered accountability.  You have clearly communicated where the business is going and what is expected of employees.  Employees are aligned with this direction, they believe in what they are doing, and are committed to getting things done, consistently, completely, and on time.  They also understand that their efforts and performance are being measured and will be rewarded. To keep this culture of accountability alive and well, consider using an accountability tool like CommandHound that tracks tasks and individual performance so that your productive company stays that way.
If you scored between 8-14: 
You have a good, efficient business but with some challenges. Things are still regularly falling through the cracks and execution is inconsistent.  Problems seem to occur over and over even when mitigation strategies are developed.  The business spends too much time reacting to problems instead of predicting them. Employees often blame their teammates and other factors for problems with their own work.  Solutions like CommandHound can address most of these issues head on by tracking tasks and individual performance to build and stregthen a culture of accountability at your company.
If you scored less than 8:
You have a long way to go in terms of developing a culture of accountability to drive business performance. Your business currently runs inefficiently and reactively.  Tasks and projects are not getting done, or require too much effort.  Deliverables routinely fall through the cracks.  Employees are not fully committed to what they are doing and feel frustrated.  The blame game has taken over.  Team members don’t know what needs to be done, by when, or by whom. You are in desperate need of some outside assistance. Software solutions like CommandHound tracks tasks and individual performance in order to instill a sense of accountability, and will prove crucial in your company’s transformation into a well-oiled accountability machine. 

Take Action

Would you like to learn more about how to develop a strong sense of accountability to turn your business into a high-performance organization (HPO)?