Colleen Kettenhofen is a Phoenix, Arizona motivational speaker on managing people, effective leadership, dealing with difficult people, and presentation skills. She has spoken in 47 states and six countries for top corporations and associations since 1995. She is contributing author of “The Masters of Success,” featured on NBC’s Today Show and Fox News. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, training and seminars.
Why Teams Won’t Take Responsibility:
12 Reasons
Written by Colleen Kettenhofen
“If you have a job without aggravation, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
Teams need to have reasons for taking responsibility. They also need to be given the authority to act on the responsibilities handed down to them. And they
need to have consequences if those goals are not met. It would be nice to think everyone is motivated to be an exceptional employee strictly out of personal integrity. And in
many instances that is the case, but not always.
Are you sure everyone on the team understands his or her individual roles, goals and objectives? Has it been clearly explained to them what their job
responsibilities are, and where that fits in with the organization’s objectives? Has each team member received adequate training? Is this information specific, measurable and
in writing? Because by doing so, it makes it harder for the “underperformer” to be able to say, “Well, you’re just picking on me.” No, you are not picking on them. Not if you’ve
made their responsibilities clear, measurable, and in writing. And not if they’ve been properly trained and given authority to take initiatives and responsibilities.
So what are the reasons teams don’t want to take responsibility? In conducting Team Building seminars worldwide over the past decade, I pose this question
each and every day to team leaders as well as team members. Here are the 12 most common answers (not in any particular order) I hear over and over for why teams won’t
take responsibility.
Weak leadership. Not being specific with everyone’s responsibility. No clear goals inwriting. Lack of skill (or positive attitude) on the part of a team member, and sometimes that person won’t admit it. Too many people with similar personality styles, i.e., too many “drivers” who each want total control. Or, too many “relaters” (those very people oriented) who aren’t task
oriented enough. Fear of failure “I don’t get paid enough to worry about that” type of mentality. They don’t get along as a team. Some just don’t want the responsibility ~ just don’t want to do it. Attendance problems or they aren’t dependable. Someone doesn’t show up. Loss of focus. The excuse, “I’m in a union and it’s not in my job description.” Lack of training.
Look closely at number one - “weak leadership.” The number one reason I hear from my participants for why teams won’t take responsibility is “weak
leadership.” And this answer comes from team leaders themselves! After all, many of them serve as team members and report to leaders of their own. They look for honesty
and integrity. Someone who does what they say they’re going to do. The leaders and managers they dislike most are those with the “do as I say not as I do”
mentality. Do people willingly want to follow you as their leader? The key word here is “willingly.” Refer back to my free article titled, “Leadership Test.” It discusses the real test,
the real secret of leadership.
If you are the team leader are you an effective communicator? Has everyone been properly trained? Trained in both technical skills, as well as in
communication, building trust, and how to handle conflict? Is everyone clear in knowing that they are held accountable for their effect on the morale of the team? That it isn’t
just a matter of them doing their job, but having a proactive mindset as well?
Again, teams need to have reasons and clear deadlines for doing something. They need consequences for failing to accept responsibility, and they need
rewards for exemplary performance. Make certain they have yearly performance reviews, or reviews every six months. A trend is for organizations to do evaluations every six
months. This way there is more face-to-face contact regarding the objectives on a much more frequent basis. And if you have union employees and must disregard any record
of underperformance after a year or so, consider writing this information into their performance review. Performance reviews follow an employee.
“Like begets like, honesty begets honesty; trust, trust, and so on.”
James F. Bell
April 23, 2005
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You are free to reprint or repost this article provided Colleen Kettenhofen's contact information (name, website, and email) is included with the article.
Colleen Kettenhofen is a keynote speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success ," as featured on NBC's Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and
Jack Canfield. For free articles, e-newsletter, or to order the book visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership,
life balance, success, difficult people, public speaking. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars.
She can be reached at contact
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