INTRODUCTION

Every big problem was at one time a wee disturbance.
—Scottish proverb

I had never fired a partner. Until today. The time for talking, threatening, pleading, and procrastinating was past.

Today I would fire not just my partner, but my mentor.

It was natural for my partner to believe the conversation we were about to have would never come. After all, he had been a senior executive when we worked in separate divisions of a different firm, and he had thrown his considerable support behind me as I worked my way up the corporate ladder. Fast forward 10 years and my mentor had joined my firm believing this would be his last hurrah, and that we would accomplish great things together. Then his performance lapsed, and, because of our history, I gave him first one pass and then another.

Even after six months of his erratic behavior, it was difficult for me to talk to him about his poor performance. He was a member of Mensa, the IQ society for persons in the top 2 percent of intelligence. Surely he knew he was not measuring up. Why did I have to point it out? When I finally summoned my nerve to discuss his performance, I indicated to him that, without change on his part, something vaguely unpleasant lay ahead. Yet he sensed, and rightly so, that my words were empty threats. When it came to holding people accountable, history showed that my bark was worse than my bite. In my 15 years as a manager, working with nearly 200 colleagues, I had fired just three people.

As my partner’s excuses kept piling up, I suspected that everyone in my firm believed one of three things: that I didn’t care, that I was clueless about this performance, or that I was scared to take the necessary action.

I eventually concluded that if I failed to fire my partner, the other 50 people in my firm would be right in thinking that they could not count on me. My failure to hold my partner accountable along the way had cost me time and money, and now it was costing me credibility with my colleagues.

My failure to confront these issues had inadvertently changed our high-performing culture to one where excuses, double standards, and an attitude of “that’s close enough” were the norm.

So the day came when I would tell my partner he must leave the firm because we could no longer count on him to keep his commitments. What began as a “wee disturbance” had become a big problem.

I called the meeting with my former mentor, and I delivered the news that, as of today, we were finished as partners.

It didn’t need to end this way.

WE ARE OUR WORST ENEMY

As leaders, we get the behavior we tolerate.

When it comes to holding people accountable, we are often our own worst enemy. We accept excuses that sound logical even when we know better. We allow emotions to cloud our decision making. We delay having a conversation with an underperformer because it’s easier to avoid a difficult conversation than having one. Instead of practicing accountability, we practice avoidance.

That was certainly the case with me. By the time I asked my partner to leave, I had learned three valuable lessons:

1. Clear expectations must be established. I assumed my partner and I both had the same definition of success. We didn’t. My failure to set clear expectations meant that evaluating his performance was subjective. When your purpose, expectations, and rewards are crystal clear, your employees will embrace accountability as a way to become even more successful. The opposite is also true: If you are not clear about everything—vision, values, objectives, strategy, rewards, and, yes, penalties—the likelihood of achieving your vision is slim.

2. Bad news does not improve with age. I avoided discussing my partner’s performance issues for too long because I assumed his performance would improve. Now I know that as soon as you see a problem, it’s best to address it immediately. Failure to speak frankly with the person about his or her performance means nothing will change.

3. It’s not personal. Yes, you’re talking with a person, but leave emotions and opinions behind. Stick to the facts, set a plan to get performance back on track, and communicate specific consequences for underperformance. If underperformers require termination, do it professionally and allow them their dignity.

The day after we separated, my partner called to say he appreciated the straightforward, professional, and respectful manner in which I had handled our final meeting. Even though these comments reflected well on his gracious acceptance of tough news, they reminded me that everyone feels better when accountability issues are addressed.

I figured there’s got to be a better way to build and sustain a culture where accountability is part of the DNA of high-performing organizations.

ACCOUNTABILITY TRANSCENDS BORDERS AND INDUSTRIES

To discover that better way, I asked leaders at widely admired companies in completely different industries to share the steps they have taken to create, nurture, and sustain a high-performing culture.

I spoke to senior executives at The Container Store, Ernst & Young, Herman Miller, Marriott, Nucor, Sony, and Southwest Airlines. I also spoke to CEOs of successful small and midsize companies. In each case, accountability at these organizations is more than a conversation. It’s an attitude and set of expectations that show up in every aspect of their firm’s operations: how they hire, communicate, develop people, and make decisions. The beliefs, insights, and practices are examined in this book and supported by data collected from more than 3,200 executives from around the world.

What I learned is that organizations wrestle with accountability in similar ways, and exceptional organizations succeed by following principles and practices that are similar regardless of:

Age of the organization

Geography (where the organization operates)

Industry

Size

In this book you will find powerful concepts and practical examples you can apply in your organization, plus exercises, provocative questions, and an assessment to help you create and sustain a high-performance culture in your organization—one that is based on purpose, trust, and accountability.

You will be pleasantly surprised by how straightforward and effective these practices will be in helping you use the keys of accountability to drive a high-performance culture and improve your organization’s effectiveness.