PR ES I DEN T’S COLUM N
ADAM CAPICCIONI Ohio CAT
ACCOUNTABILITY IS KEY Spring is here – with summer right around the corner – and I’m sure that all of us have hit the ground running with a culture of complete accountability. Right? Alright, so maybe not all of us… Within any well-managed company, everyone should know what the term accountability means and what they are accountable for on a daily basis. That being said, accountability can be defined as the quality or state of being accountable, especially an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility, or to account for one’s actions. Unfortunately, in many instances, people have become accustomed to viewing accountability as something that belittles them, or happens when performance wanes, problems develop, or results fail to materialize. After all, when things are sailing along smoothly, people rarely ask, “Who is accountable for this success?”
This misperception needs to be changed. Communicating praise when it comes to our employees’ accountability should be just as common as it is when we’re communicating dissatisfaction. And, this change needs to come from management, because the values and processes associated with accountability – in any company – are communicated from the top down, as leadership sets the bar when it comes to what each individual is responsible for. As many of you know, I’m a huge sports fan, and it just so happens that this topic aligns well with how professional sports organizations tend to function. As is the case in our industry, free agents (employees) move from team to team continued on page 6 The Growing Concern | May 2019 | 3