Comments on: Should You Hold People Accountable Publicly?

By: Maxwell Biggs

Maxwell Biggs — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 19:03:54 +0000

This was a great read. I especially liked how you brought it back to the basics of establishing “Intent” at the beginning of the project. This helps people feel not only safe but, establishes ground rules for when the standards are missed. Knowing the facts and that the missed deadline could possibly affect other aspects of the project helps the project remain on tract. Being held accountable doesn’t have to be an ugly occurrence of chastising the person, if done correctly it can show commitment to the project, the team and the individual by keeping the true story focused on the facts not everyone’s individual story.
“One Team – One Story- One Set of Facts!”

By: davidrobsonwg

davidrobsonwg — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 18:51:04 +0000

Another option comes to mind, although there may be issues with this that I’m not taking into account. Two important reasons we care about missed deadlines are (1) they may cause immediate problems because of dependencies, and (2) they may be an indicator of future problems due to a pattern of missed deadlines. Addressing the second reason involves discussing why the deadline was missed and what could be done differently in the future to avoid recurrence. It is probably best dealt with privately as suggested, at least initially. However, addressing the first reason, the immediate negative consequences for the project, can be done with the team without going into the causes of the miss. It doesn’t matter why the deadline was missed; the consequences have to be dealt with. Asking the team to collaborate on remediation reinforces team accountability and also sends a message to the person who missed their deadline that their teammates depend on them. For many people, that will provide additional motivation to do their best to meet deadlines in the future.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 18:46:50 +0000

Either way on how it’s handled, there’s the project management piece that needs to be brought to the forefront if there are any project dependencies on the work not completed for the deadline. These would need to be addressed or potentially, delays to the project and people could be left waiting for the work to be completed (especially those hired specifically for that project ie: IT development projects). It’s a great idea to have the discussion upfront on just how these are handled; however, if that isn’t the case, the team still needs to be involved to determine the impact of not meeting that deadline and how to work ‘around it’.

By: Schubert Pereira

Schubert Pereira — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 17:22:58 +0000

Thanks for your thought stimulating article. Have used the old adage, “Praise publicly; guide privately.” I agree there is a situation when you can guide publicly….. After you have created a psychologically safe zone, and after you have built trust that your feedback is to develop the team member. It can only be done within that team or safe zone.

By: RJ Goodman

RJ Goodman — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:50:01 +0000

In reply to Ray Schulte. Thanks for the question, Ray! Yes, personal motivation could be a symptom that would help me find out the root cause. I’ve had direct reports who missed deadlines simply because they weren’t motivated to do the work. I think it is crucial that we master our stories and find the root cause(s) before moving to solutions. Have a great day!

By: Ray Schulte

Ray Schulte — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:49:22 +0000

In reply to RJ Goodman. RJ- I wonder if your list of reasons for missing a deadline includes someone’s simple lack of commitment to do the work?

By: Shelley Weiss

Shelley Weiss — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:19:46 +0000

This is a very kind and firm way to handle someone “dropping the ball”. I like how you also addressed setting up a way to handle missed deadlines before the project along with the “if you don’t have a team norm in place” situation. Thank you!

By: Edna E Place

Edna E Place — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 13:51:13 +0000

This is great guidelines to follow. Set expectations at the start of the project.

By: RJ Goodman

RJ Goodman — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 13:46:51 +0000

Great work, Emily! I’ve found that deadlines are missed for a variety of reasons. Getting to the root cause(s) of the miss have served me well. Common root causes for missed deadlines are… 1) arbitrary deadlines set by management without consultation with the people doing the work; 2) social motivation pressure to create unrealistic deadlines; or 3) something more important came up. Each root cause requires different countermeasures in order to take care of the immediate need and to create sustainable behaviors. -RJ