Community rather than Accountability.

Looking at trends for this coming year, one of the big buzzwords that keeps arising over and over is Accountability. In reference to government, business, wall street, education, the notion of a new accountability seems to everywhere. But what exactly does that mean, and in trying to create accountability in our workplaces or lives, we have to assume that there is something that can be "countable." Or that the countable component of someone's work is really where their value is. But in a creative realm, is that possible? Is that counter-productive to creativity?

If you survey designers on their passion for their jobs, I am just guessing here, but I don't believe that the common denominator is the passion for billable hours. Are billable hours necessary, absolutely, but are they a good measure of productivity, creativity, or the contribution to the synergy of an office or team? Not necessarily.

Has the accountability measure of "No Child Left Behind" been beneficial and in the greatest good of students? I venture to guess that most teachers would disagree that it was. If you follow Higher Ed at all, there is a belief that students are less prepared now than ever. So, if there are measures in place to ensure accountability, then why are we not more productive and engaged than ever before?

Maybe it is because the methods for judging accountability are only adding one more layer to mix of what an individual needs to focus on, rather than doing what is right. So, as the pressures of a weakening economy are weighing down on managers, employees, and even volunteers, take a good look at the accountability in your organization and I think you will find two kinds of accountability; internal and external. Let's look at how each drives your organization.

External Accountability: These are the laws and rules within which we need to operate. OSHA regulations, the speed limit,  industry rules and guidelines. They are most frequently set for the protection of the whole and to provide some very basic guidelines to live and work by. The consequences are typically well defined enforcement is fairly uniform. They are the basic structure, the bare minimums within which we live. External doesn't just refer to the maker of the "rules" as within an organization managers may make "rules" which are passed down to employees as well, perhaps considered a threat. While these rules are good and necessary for a society to function and avoid discrimination or abuse, they aren't necessarily the type of accountability that in 2009 our society is yearning for.

Internal Accountability:  This is where I believe businesses need to focus in 2009, and this accountability is one which isn't necessarily "countable" and even more difficult to measure and define, but that which I believe will make all the difference.

This accountability is not one of adhering to the rules for fear of punishment, but a movement to a motivation of ownership and inspiration within the workplace which will thrust companies further ahead than those just looking to "control" their employees.

Do you want employees who drag themselves to work or those who earnestly enjoy being a part of the team? Those who are stealing office supplies from you or the individual who is thinking of new ways to reduced the need for office supplies, or getting the best value for them. Employees looking out for themselves or employees looking out for the team or company? This accountability, I would like to call "Community."

In a Community, there a lot of individuals, each with talents to contribute, and are there willingly and are engaged in their environment and in moving the community as a whole forward. In a community, a truly functional community, individuals are willing to share what they have and what they know because they know their thoughts and things will be respected and reciprocated. A community is a safe environment to speak new ideas and try new things, but not just for self-benefit, for that of the entire community.

It was a community which strove to land a man on the moon and return him safely home, an inspired community. It was a dream, not a threat, a dream that by working together, was achieved.

In the book "Community: the structure of belonging" by Peter Block he lays out three questions which I think would be interesting to address when you bring your team together next.

1. "What is the crossroads where you find yourself at this stage of your life or work or in the project around which we are assembled?" This is the determination of why are we here, why is this meeting being called, what is the situation which needs to be addressed or considered.
2. "What declaration of possibility can you make that has the power to transform the community and inspire you?"  What is your "dream" or bigger vision for the outcome. Don't worry about the "How's" yet.
3. "What do we want to create together that would make a difference?" "What can we create together that we cannot create alone?" These are not necessarily the "how's" but perhaps more of an inventory of the resources of the community and how they might be best combined to create something larger than the individual is capable.

But in order to fully and effectively answer these questions, we have to know our community. Know their interests and passions, what drives them and what their aspirations are. You have to know what tools they have in their garage before you can ask them to contribute them. That happens by having bigger and more meaningful conversations with each other.

Recently, in a think tank group of which I am a member, Jodee Bock introduced us to a technique which I found quite interesting. Each person in the group asked the next member sitting around the table two questions, everyone in the group listened to the questions and asked additional questions and gave feedback as was appropriate. The two questions were:

1. What are you passionate about?
2. What can I (we) do to help you with that?

As each person in the group started to talk about their passions and others in the group gave feedback, in each instance I found something for myself. A tip, attitude, affirmation, or a connection I could share or just support I could give them in their endeavor. I got to know them better, understand what was motivating them and it shed light on my own situation. Insights I wouldn't have had, if I hadn't taken the time to be interested  in the passions of others, and them in mine.

I also have another term for this kind of engagement in the workplace, it is that of Creating Synergy, about finding ways to naturally have those conversations, to build that sense of community, and what some very simple and inexpensive techniques for doing that are. The list is still relatively short, but a start, you can check them out on this site at Creating Synergy.

And, while I know that the economy is weighing on people, and stresses are higher than ever, make an effort to focus on productivity from a standpoint of internal motivators, rather than external. In the lives of our staff, they are already being faced with so many external factors, I believe in helping them develop their internal accountability, their sense of belonging within your work community, that they will be most productive.

A happy and fulfilled employee is one who is contributing their dreams to the team. Good help is hard to find, retaining great help is even harder, the cost of replacing them is costly. Take the time to find out what your employee's or teams passions are, and what you can do to help them in that journey toward community.