Comments on: Holding Peers Accountable Without Management’s Support

By: Adrian

Adrian — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 05:37:03 +0000

I had this problem with a volunteer on a community support team I manage. She was a nice lady, but she would volunteer for EVERYTHING and then never complete any of the tasks she had agreed to. I did have the conversations with her, explained the expectations and deadlines, defined the importance of the work she was doing, made sure she had the skill and resources to do it, and she still let me down again and again. After a certain number of disappointments – almost ten of them, I finally decided that she was in some kind of self-sabotage loop and it was preventing more capable people for stepping up for the tasks because they thought she would do them. It was seriously hampering our team’s performance. Finally I had to ask her to stop volunteering for things. Now she has dropped off the team altogether and is probably very resentful of us, but I just felt like I didn’t have any other choice. Sometimes you just need to move on and get things done.

By: John Anderson

John Anderson — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 22:54:20 +0000

Nucor Steel is a great example of a very successful company where co-employees manage each other. If someone is underperforming “they run them off”. It is part of their culture. They confront poor performers on a regular basis until the person steps up or leaves.
John C. Anderson

By: Editor

Editor — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 16:57:53 +0000

In reply to SeaDrain.

We truly did not intend any racial bias, but we can see how this might have been perceived. We will correct the image appearing in our newsletter, Facebook, and blog pages and replace it with a different photo. We also plan to send an apology to all newsletter readers in the next issue. Please accept our sincere apology for this misunderstanding and misrepresentation of who we are as an organization.

We would also like to take a brief moment to explain why this particular photo was used. The man you see in the photo is one of the main actors in our latest video regarding unaccountability. If you have the opportunity to view the video, you will see that he is the manager who has to confront employees who are unaccountable. He is not the one who is “unaccountable.”

Again, please accept our apologies for any perceived bias and wrong doing.

By: SeaDrain

SeaDrain — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:13:14 +0000

Your articles have been very enlightening – I look forward to them.
However, this topic has an image of a Black man who is labeled “The Unaccountable.” This image compels me to have a crucial conversation with Joseph Grenny and the publication staff who believe it is acceptable to publish an image of a minority and risk perpetuating a stereotype or stigmatize.

Universally, White people are used in most images – no one attributes a negative stereotype to the entire White race of people; it is considered a generality. However, Black people and others of color are seldom published. When they are, their image draws extra attention because it is rare.

Unfortunately, collective thinking in society has not risen above fear, mistrust, low expectations and overall disdain of Black people, especially Black men. Applying that caption implies that these people are “the unaccountable.” I admit, if the image were of a White person, I would be thinking more generically about ALL people who are unaccountable, not just Black people who are labeled unaccountable.

Was this intentional – to draw attention?
Did you consider the rarity of a Black man’s image?
Did you consider the frequency of a Black man’s image coupled with a negative caption?
Are you concerned with responsible social equity in print/electronic media?
I believe your blogs intend to help.

By: Holding Peers Accountable Without Management&rs...

Holding Peers Accountable Without Management&rs... — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 08:58:23 +0000

[…] How do you hold your peers accountable when you don't have the support of their supervisor, or in some instances the support of your own supervisor? […]

By: AGodsey

AGodsey — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:48:52 +0000

This individual’s habits appear classic to someone with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). The way his brain works makes it overwhelmingly difficult to complete tasks even with the truest of intentions and efforts. One of my family members with ADD refused medication for a number of years. Finally, due largely to work performance issues, he began taking appropriate ADD medication and his life, work performance and self image have changed dramatically. His supervisor immediately noticed the change in his ability to complete multiple tasks on time and said, “Whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it!” He can focus now so that he can actually read/study a book for long periods of time, which has opened a whole new world of knowledge and career possibilities. He now believes he can live up to the high potential everyone has always told him he possesses. Of course, as we all do, he still has behaviors that need to change and following the course of action outlined in Change Anything is a most effective way to make those changes. However, without the appropriate use of medication to get his brain working for him instead of against him, I believe successful change would continue to be very difficult at best.Together, meaningful and lasting change is within reach.