Debra Kasowski

How Do Leaders Hold People Accountable Without Micromanaging?

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Leadership and management go hand in hand. There are times to lead and there are also times to manage. We need to strike a balance between the two to hold people accountable including ourselves. They complement each other and are often used interchangeably but do mean different things.

Managers are focused on the bottom line and getting results within a short range of time. They want to ensure that policies, processes, procedures are followed. The manager wants to ensure that things are done correctly and stay within the norm. Leaders, on the other hand, want to create a long-term vision for their followers which allows for creativity and innovation. They share intent behind their actions to help people understand their goals as well as the goals of others. A leader focuses on developing the people they work with so they too can lead. The leader encourages the people to ask questions and be curious about information available to them.

Leaders cringe at the thought of being labeled as “a micro-manager”.

Do you know a micro-manager? Are you one?

What is the difference between micromanaging and holding someone accountable for their actions?

Micromanagement and accountability are often misunderstood. Micromanagement is when the manager closely observes or takes control of the work of the people that report to them. They monitor and assess every step of the way. A micro-manager does not ask for input and may hide information to have the upper hand. These individuals do not trust that their people can do the job they were hired for.

Accountability is about the willingness to take responsibility for one’s actions. There is personal accountability as well as team accountability. When the manager shares information that involves facts and figures, they often need to look at how things happened and when. The leader will ask what happened and why. They will encourage their people to ask the tough questions and even challenge them to come up with solutions. When an individual or team takes responsibility for outcomes and results, they can reflect and look for the gaps from where they are to where they want to be. The manager often has to be accountable for the outcomes that their team delivers. A leader will inspire accountability by example.

There are situations in which micromanaging may help improve specific areas of a problem but should never be used as a long-term solution. Micromanaging is a strategy to improve performance and should not be used alone. We often have to take a step back and look at the big picture of what is going on in the system but we also need to take a closer look at the parts that make up the big picture. By doing so, individuals and teams can uncover where improvements can be made. This discovery can help us determine where accountability lies.

You can hold people accountable for their actions and results without micromanaging by asking powerful questions:

  1. What are the expectations? Clearly communicate and set expectations. Set the stage by explaining what is expected of an individual or team. Create a vision in their minds of what they should aim for.
  2. What is accountability when it comes to performance? Openly talk about accountability and performance so it’s not seen as micromanaging.
  3. How do they want to be held accountable? Ask the individuals or a team how they would like to be held accountable for their actions and agree on the process.
  4. What are the results and outcomes? Explain what the outcomes are if a person is not meeting expectations or performing well
  5. Where are the gaps? Share your observations of the gap between expectation and performance.
  6. What do they have to say about it? Ask for input.
  7. Who is best to come up with the solution? Give the individual or team ownership of the problem. Let them come up with a solution.
  8. What questions do they need answers to make informed decisions? Encourage them to ask questions and gather more information about what the facts and figures mean.
  9. What are actions with support the results and outcome we wish to achieve? Focus on results and outcomes and what actions can improve a problem versus focusing on the activities that cause the problem.

Let your people know what your intention is as you work with them. The people you manage and lead are your greatest resource and often will come up with the best solutions. Foster trust by demonstrating to the people you work with that they are capable of creating the results and outcomes shared in the vision. They are owners of the vision. Ask the questions that create accountability and allow the people to make the vision a reality under your leadership.

Leading and managing effectively can be an art. How do you hold people accountable?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 Magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

Personal Mastery is the Key to Professional Mastery

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Grab your free gift at www.debrakasowski.com by Signing Up for the Success Secrets Newsletter. Debra Kasowski International – Personal Mastery is the Key to Professional Mastery. Personal and Professional Success does not occur in silo. Become a better version of yourself today.

Falling on Tough Times Means You Need to Adjust Your Focus

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We don’t have to go too far to get drawn in to negativity. You can go to any social media page and see someone ranting about the political climate or their frustrations with the economy and the impact on their lives.

Tough times don’t last forever. They don’t impact everyone at the same time. There are industries that are growing and thriving by choice. They have learned to think creatively and to be innovative with what they have. They recognize that they are the creator of their own outcomes and experiences. Personal accountability and determination are what make the best rise to the top.

Change means different things to different people but for the most part change means progress and moving forward. Change may provoke feelings of anxiety, fear, and nervousness. It is the uncertainty and the feeling of loss of control that can get a person worked up. When you are driven by your fears, you become caged in your belief that things cannot get better and your actions and behavior with match that belief. You may even start settling for less than you deserve because you’ve adopted a small picture thinking or “victim mentality”. You view the world as things happening “to you” rather than “for you” and because of this small minded thinking you could be missing out on a grand opportunity.

“Whether you think you can or you can’t – you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Small picture thinkers are reactive rather than responsive. They focus on the small things versus the impact on the bigger picture. They fail to see that all circumstances are temporary and anything that is temporary can change. They do not ask questions about how thinks can be different. Small picture thinkers focus on counting their losses versus the gains that they have. They focus on the negativity of a situation and get lost in the blur activities that take up their day and exhaust them.

Worrying and complaining changes nothing. If we want greatness and abundance, we must be looking at what already is going well and celebrate those successes and build upon them. In my training in Appreciative Inquiry, a positive approach to creating meaningful and sustainable change, we guide people through a process of discovery by asking questions and focusing on existing strengths.

“The world as we have created is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking. – Albert Einstein

Appreciative Inquiry is not about getting short-term results although many people would like immediate change (perhaps you they think it will hurt less or be more satisfied due to immediate gratification). People and organizations are living things that learn, grow, and evolve over time. Change takes time and commitment by each individual. You can start with focusing on what’s working and ask ourselves, “What do we/I need to be doing to be our best?”

What lens are you looking through? Are you looking at the upside or the downside? What strengths do you have that you can contribute to make a difference? It will be the big picture thinkers will who will keep the economy going. They know that now is not the time to stop learning, building relationships, or marketing because when the market changes (and it eventually will), they will be top of mind.

Think a little bit differently about the world around you. Ask yourself the following appreciative questions:

  1. Let’s capture your best experience. Recall a time when you felt on top of your game and most alive in your business, organization, or life. Who was involved? What made it such an exciting experience? Write down details.
  2. What do you bring to the table? Without being humble, what do you value about yourself as a person and what you contribute to your business or organization?
  3. The Magic Lamp. What three wishes would you make that would make the biggest difference in your business or organization right now?

Can you feel the shift in focus and energy? When you focus on the best of what is, you can think of ways to enjoy more of the best. Use your best experience, your strengths, and your three wishes to build and grow your business or organization to where you want to be. The same practices can be used in your personal life. Focus on what’s working right now. Celebrate and rave about it – shift the venting and gossip on social media to a positive and meaningful experience. Change starts with YOU!

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”Dr. Wayne Dyer

What is the one thing you are willing to commit to in moving toward making a positive change?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 Magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

Are Your Habits Driving You Insane?

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Many people find it difficult to talk about emotions in business and in the workplace. Who ever thought emotions would contribute to one’s person’s decision-making, independence, and problem solving ability? Emotions and communication are the “soft skills” or people skills that help businesses grow and leaders climb the ladder of success.

The issue is – not everyone is equally self-aware.

You may have heard the phrase quoted by Albert Einstein, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over but expecting different results.”

ID-10063208This statement makes me think of the movie, “Groundhog Day” (1993) starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell where Bill Murray is continually taking the same actions and attending the same events, repeating each day over and over.

Are you frustrated with always getting the same results at work or in your life?

Have you recognized a pattern of behavior?

Do you keep repeating the same mistakes?

If you said yes to any of these questions, perhaps it’s time to examine your behaviors. When you examine these behaviors, your initial reaction may be to make an excuses or point the finger at someone else. However, chances are you’ll realize that the common denominator is you! You need to make the change.

The great thing is that you can take 100% responsibility for your actions and because you are in the midst of it you may not have realized how your repeating patterns of behavior have become so automatic. In Dr. John B. Arden’s book, Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life, he mentions that “Cells that fire together wire together”.

“The more you do something in a particular way, use words with specific accent, or remember something about your past, the more the neurons that fire together to make this happen will strengthen their connection. The more the narrow inspire together, the more likely it is that they will fire again to get there in the future.”- Dr. John B. Arden

Think about a wheelbarrow crossing a grassy path. If you take that wheelbarrow on the same path 50 or 60 times, eventually you will form defined pathway. This is why people who hang onto the past or think negatively about situations can form a rut and have difficulty re-framing, letting go of the past, or overthink situations.

This analogy leads to why a person’s behavior can often be predicted. Our thoughts and feelings affect our behaviors and actions. When you are emotionally self-aware, you are able to recognize your emotions as well as the emotions of others. By doing so, you may notice a pattern of behavior has to how you or another reacts to a situation.

Reflect on the following situations and think about your potential responses:

Your teenager missed their curfew and did not call.

Your team did not meet the deadline because you failed to follow-up with each team member.

You constantly have to add your opinion to every discussion.

You make costly decisions that are impacting your bottom line.

You are not fully present and did not hear very important information said in the meeting.

You procrastinated and now you have to stay up late to finish a project. In the morning, you are tired and short-tempered with your family at the breakfast table.

Look at your pattern of behavior:

Are you being impulsive or patient?

Do you jump to conclusions or seek more information?

Are you reactive or responsive?

Do you keep your calm or do you blow your top?

Do you keep quiet and bottle things up until you become overwhelmed?

Are you mindful of how you spend your time?

It’s time to stop the madness…. What’s going on?

Stop doing what you’ve always done. It is no longer serving you and maybe it never did. Habits can be good or bad and depending on the choices you make, you can have a positive outcome or negative consequence. What is the outcome you are looking for?

Ask yourself, “What can I say or do to get a different outcome?”

World-class executive coach Marshall Goldsmith states: “correcting the behavior, you will discover, does not require polished skills elaborate training, arduous practice or supernatural creativity. All that’s required is the faint imagination to stop what you been doing in the past-in effect-to do nothing at all.” What Goldsmith means “by doing nothing at all” is stopping behaviors like passing judgments, making excuses, hanging onto the past, negative thinking, adding our two cents to every discussion, and always having to win at all costs. How does it impact you or others? Sometimes the best thing you can do or say is nothing at all.

What is repeating the same mistakes and getting the same results costing you?

The cost is more financial. The cost can be a breakdown in relationships and communication. The cost can be your health, marriage, your relationship with stakeholders, your business, and even your bank account.

Stop the insanity. Break the cycle. Discover the pattern of your behaviour.

You must be willing and read to make a change in your behaviour and actions to get different results.

Your breakthrough may occur when you do the following:

  • Recognize your emotions and the emotions of others in a situation. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings for they influence your behaviors. Imagine what the other person maybe thinking and feeling.
  • Manage these emotions by challenging your beliefs and assumptions about a situation.
  • Develop a learner mindset and be curious about a situation. Ask questions. The better the question, the better the answer and ultimately the better decision made.
  • Gather more information, you may need to do some research.
  • Ask others to help you identify some of your self-limiting habits. Habits can become so automatic; you may not recognize that they are not serving you.
  • Take what you know to solve the problem or make better decisions.
  • Be authentic and make decisions based on your values.

What habits do you need to change? What habits would empower you or make the biggest difference? Start with one.

What is the one thing you can stop doing or change that would make the biggest difference right now?

The insanity will stop when you start doing something different to get a different result.

Get the result that you want!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com