Embracing Accountability for Organizational Success
It’s been a long year and as the calendar year draws to a close, leaders and employees, alike, tend to lose energy. The goal is to start strong and finish stronger and it’s those teams that elevate their effort at the end of the race that tend to win. Great leaders can motivate their teams to give their absolute best in crunch time to elevate individual employees and entire organizations. And in those moments, we are all accountable for how we finish.
We’re all judged on how we perform from year-to-year – whether it be the calendar year or fiscal year. And over time, behavior patterns emerge that tell us a great deal about who we are – as individuals and organizations. People that stop short or slow down before crossing the finish line impact everyone and everything around them. Such is the case with “Quiet Quitting”. And many times, the organizations response to individuals that quit quietly, is “Quiet Firing”.
“Quiet Firing” is when leadership slowly removes the duties from an employee instead of firing him or her. It can consist of reducing hours, assigning unwanted assignments, isolation, unfair evaluations, no raise or promotion, etc. “Quiet Firing” and “Quiet Quitting” are a disservice for everyone in the organization. Both create a vicious cycle that develops a repetitive passive aggressive unproductive loop.
Colossians 3:23 says that “we should work as though we are working for the Lord.” Philippians 3:14 urges us to “…press toward the mark.” We must apply these verses to our daily lives to avoid the urge to participate in either quiet quitting or firing and to finish strong. We should all strive to be better Christians and leaders by becoming better than we were the day before and setting a positive example for those around us.
In Jacob Mathison’s article, Quiet Firing: When Leaders Do the Bare Minimum, he provides engagement methods leaders can use to address this problem.
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Re-energize employees on work and commitment to their career.
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Actively identify and communicate roadblocks.
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Be patient.
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Acknowledge positive changes.
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Recognize that integrity and loyalty bring about success.
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Celebrate Victories!
As leaders, individuals, and organizations, we should continuously ask these three questions:
- Where am I now?
- Where do I want to be?
- What do I need to do to get where I want to be?
As Paul said in Philippians 3:11-16, “I have not arrived… None of us have gotten to where we need to have been so we must keep trying and improving. Neglect the negative. Move forward. Love one another and encourage each other to achieve total commitment to what needs to be accomplished. This brings about satisfaction and productivity.”
As leaders, we must cultivate an environment that promotes self-examination, self-improvement, and strategic purpose because we are all accountable. Doing so benefits our people and our business.
ZC Consulting brings more than 20 years of cumulative experience in nonprofit and faith-based consulting, coaching, leadership, and executive search. If you’re looking for leaders or to build teams who can make a difference and create sustainable momentum throughout your organization – transforming people who will have a positive and inclusive impact on your people and community – reach out to us. ZC Consulting excels in developing, empowering, and securing leaders for nonprofit, higher education, ministries, and faith-driven organizations.