Accountability for Great Managers : Setting Expectations, Demanding Accountability.

Managers play a vital and distinct role. The manager's role is to help each employee reach inside and release his or her unique talents and use them in a way to improve performance. In a sense, the manager's role is that of a catalyst. The manager's role is that of a catalyst. The manager helps an employee aim his or her talents at the goals of the organization and the needs of its customers.

Often, managers are asked to do several things: be a subject matter expert, individual performer, technical or project manager, and sometimes even a leader within the organization. They are expected to manage themselves, manage their direct team, build and create efficiencies, and support and activate the goals and values of the organization. 

To be a catalyst and inspire a team to perform at its optimum, a manager must be able to do four activities extremely well and be personally accountable to execute consistently :

• Identifying Talent : A manager is accountable to identify the right talent for the role, task, or project and then focus, nurture, and develop that talent. The most powerful benefit a manager can provide to his or her employees is to place them in roles that harness the best of their natural selves - their talents - as well as their skills and knowledge to build and apply strengths.
  
  
• Setting Expectations : A manager is accountable to define the right outcomes and then let each person find his or her own route. A manager must be able to focus people toward performance. To get the most from employees, a manager must help them mold their jobs around the way they work most naturally, maximizing the frequency of optimal experiences in which they lose themselves in the work, are internally motivated, and find themselves naturally gifted.
  
  
• Motivating and Engaging : A manager is accountable to identify what excites, motivates, and engages each team member about his or her work and then individualize the approach accordingly. One of the greatest challenges managers face is finding ways to drive and improve performance. That requires the discretionary effort of their employees. The reality is that if the manager is not creating expectations, aspirations, and enthusiasm while helping the team see the way forward, chances are that no one else is either.
  
  
• Developing : A manager is accountable to help each employee find a role that asks him or her to do more of what that employee is naturally wired to do, and then create heroes in every role. The manager's most basic responsibility is not to help each person grow. It is not to provide an environment in which each person feels significant and special. These are worthy goals and methods, but they are not the point. The point is to focus people toward performance and accountability. The manager is, and should be, totally responsible for this. In this case, "development" does not mean "promotion". It does not mean each employee gets what he or she wants. It means helping individuals find and grow into roles or positions that fit their unique combination of skills, knowledge, and talents.

---

Joseph Tan is the first Gallup Strengths Coach in Malaysia after attending the pioneering Accelerated Strengths Coaching Program conducted by Gallup for the first time in Asia. As a certified Gallup Strengths Coach, Joseph offers a systematic and proven approach to train, consult and coach your organization towards developing a strengths based culture. 

Click here for Gallup's strategic consulting roadmap towards achieving higher levels of performance. In addition to strengths-based coaching, Joseph also focuses on consulting with organizations to improve employee engagement using Gallup's proprietary Q12 engagement metrics. Engagement is key to sustainable performance and growth. 

Click here to gain access and information to Gallup's powerful Q12 engagement survey.