A leadership expert shares three techniques for getting people to accomplish what you want while still liking you.
One of the most difficult difficulties for any leader is determining how to hold someone accountable for their errors without causing conflict. According to organizational expert and bestselling author Michael Timms, blaming others is usually a failing technique in these instances.
The key to calling out poor performance while preserving a friendly connection with employees is to admit your own faults first, so you can motivate others to do exactly the same, Timms stated in a TED Talk in January. It's an technique known as "modeling accountability."
Timms, the original founder of management consulting firm Avail Leadership, stated that he and other executives frequently fall into the same capture: "blaming somebody else for an issue without taking into account my part in it." "I teach management teams that you cannot inspire accountability in others unless you model it yourself," he stated.
He used a prime instance from a building business he had previously advised, where team meetings frequently disintegrated into a slew of accusations as blame was distributed without any real solutions proposed. This generally resulted in distrust among coworkers, as errors were repeated.
Following Timms' approach, the general manager began their next meeting by accepting personal responsibility for his own contributions to difficulties, inspiring other employees to speak out and recognize their own shortcomings. "The mood in that meeting changed instantly," Timms explained. "Before people will permit us to hold them liable, they must first see us holding ourselves accountable."
You can't motivate others to be accountable unless you model it for yourself.
Timms gave an example from his own family. His a trio of daughters were unable to get out of the house in time for a significant event, despite Timms and his wife "nagging [them] long before it was time to leave," he claimed. Timms was "beginning to get rid of it." Then he stopped and understood that, rather than chastising his children, he could accept responsibility for his own contributions to the issue and devise some remedies. "I put large clocks all over and posted the schedule in a common area," he told me. "Do you know what? It actually succeeded. We're not flawless at getting out the door on time now, but it's a lot better than before."
Try adopting three basic and 'strong' behaviors.
Timms suggests three basic yet "powerful" habits to assist increase other people's performance without turning them against you.
Habit one: Do not blame.
Habit two: Look in the mirror.
The third habit : To engineer the solution," he explained.
Practicing these practices "has an almost magical effect on other people's actions," according to Timms. "You achieve greater results. However, this is not limited to CEOs and managers. We're all striving to help people get better, right? As a parent, employee, or volunteer."
It's a significant lesson for managers who want to inspire staff to perform better without causing long-term morale damage, Timms said. When leaders place too much emphasis on assigning blame, it "kills accountability," creating a poisonous environment in which accusations fly back and forth while the core issues are frequently disregarded. "In societies of responsibility, people hide difficulties or point their finger at another else," he told me. "No one will accept accountability if they believe they will be criticized for doing so. "Blame undermines teamwork, solving issues, acquiring knowledge, and innovation."
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