Coaching and Accountability
Rick Piraino
Regardless of your industry, employees at all levels must be held accountable for the job they are being paid to do. Holding them accountable is a fine line to walk because most managers don't want to harm the relationship and yet the performance failure must be addressed. This creates a double bind where managers feel they must choose between two inadequate positions: preserving the relationship at the expense of the lost performance or achieving the performance at the expense of a damaged relationship. Often, managers either avoid these difficult interactions (flight) or meet them with an armored position (fight), using blame and anger to get the issue resolved while sidestepping the stress and vulnerability inherent in these conversations. Let's play out these two scenarios and find some alternatives.