Life (and success) is a lot about balancing. Creating BOTH a “Culture of Accountability” AND a “Culture of Support” is a vital balance that must be achieved for a team to reach its fullest potential.
I am a FIRM believer in having a culture of accountability, of transparency, full disclosure, open communication, and acceptance of personal responsibility. That is the Culture of Accountability.
We want every Team Member to grow, to stretch, to learn, to think, to innovate. That means some mistakes will be made. Believe me, I’ve made some doozy mistakes in my life, gotten up, and began cleaning them up as fast as I could and then sat down, looked back, and did my best to learn all I could from the episode. Mistakes are acceptable, part of the game, as long as someone is giving their best. That is the Culture of Support.
Occasionally, I will see someone reluctant to report a situation or to ask for help or advice. Perhaps they are fearful of the consequences or perhaps they wait too long to report it, hoping that they will be able to get it under control before it comes to the attention of others. All too often, it spirals out of control or their boss learns about it through other channels and there is potentially a deterioration of trust and faith.
In a healthy organization, everyone wants everyone to succeed because the success of entirety is dependent on the success of the individuals of whom it is comprised.
At The Collier Companies, we are firmly committed to taking into consideration all stakeholders, to honoring the Social Contract, treating all with respect and dignity and to creating (and harvesting) value for (and as defined by) our Customers. We both hold each other accountable AND we fully support each other.
As always, I share what I most want/need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier