I want to start off with the fact that accountability is a positive not a negative! I find myself talking about accountability in the finance office quite often. Whether it is holding a finance manager accountable for his/her numbers or contracts in transit or adhering to a set process the the word is definitely used all the time! What I also find interesting is that in a lot of dealerships it not clear what is expected in both results and responsibilities for these managers. I go to a dealership quite often training employees and work to improve results and think to myself “wow that was a great visit!” The question is did the person I was working with agree and feel the same way? My training typically involved working on product knowledge, process implementations, and role-playing. Recently I changed my dealership visits to include accountability. When I first got in the car business back in 1997, ehhh yeah 1997, I was taught the KISS method. If you are not familiar with the KISS method it stands for Keep-It-Simple-Stupid. In translation try not to overcomplicate what you are working on. So, when I think of holding a manager accountable for their achievements I think about how to track, coach and influence results while adhering to the KISS method. Heres what I came up with. One, employees like to be held accountable! Well, they like to be held accountable if expectations are clear. So set clear expectations! And second, Track them! Having the appropriate tools in place to measure results. I call this the scoreboard! A little healthy competition is a good thing! Imagine a football game where neither team is keeping score. What is the expectation? To play better or is it to win? Accountability and results are directly related. If you are looking for better results create clear accountability!
