5 Tips for Improving Accountability With Jan Griffiths, President and Founder of Gravitas Detroit

You’ve just finished your annual strategic planning meeting, which hopefully if you listened to episode 73 of our podcast, went a little better than usual. Now you’re sitting at your desk with binders full of big ideas and lofty goals for where to take your company next. And as a leader, it’s your responsibility to seize that heightened energy from your team and run with it. So how are you going to do that?One word: ACCOUNTABILITYAt first glance, ‘accountability’ might conjure up some negative feelings. It certainly does for Jan, who has long associated the word with blame. “When people say, I'm gonna hold you accountable, it means you've got to do this. Because if you don't, you're gonna suffer the consequences,” Jan says. “And that's not what accountability is all about.”What accountability should look like is you as an authentic leader using your management skills to inspire your team. Instead of just “trying your best,” start thinking outside the box and pushing your team to reach loftier goals. After all, how are we going to grow and change this industry if we’re only focused on playing it safe? In the second part of this special solo series of Finding Gravitas, Jan breaks down company accountability and how to do it right in the automotive industry. For more on accountability, check out Jan’s recent episode with Brian Moran, co-author of Uncommon Accountability.Themes discussed in this episode: What accountability really meansHow to be clear about your goals and expectations Why positive language gets things doneWhat it means to take ownership of an objectiveHow to create a safe environment for high performanceThe importance of metrics and how to track them Featured Expert: Jan Griffiths (Host)What she does: Jan is the co-founder and president of Gravitas Detroit, an organization dedicated to cultivating authentic leadership by providing courses, workshops, speaking events, and more. She is also the host of The Automotive Leaders Podcast (formerly, Finding Gravitas Podcast).Episode HighlightsTimestamped inflection points from the show[0:37] Adjust your strategy: Jan recaps her top five tips from episode 73 on how to improve your strategic planning meetings to create a more authentic leadership culture.[3:14] Where to go next: Effective strategic planning is essential, but what are the needed steps to put your new ideas into action? How do you carry out objectives and keep people accountable for their goals?[6:32] Definition and clarity: You can’t hold your team accountable if they don’t know exactly what they’re being held accountable for. Be clear and direct with specific goals, objectives, and tasks.[7:24] Positive language: Jan explains why it’s so important to use positive accountability language and why it helps get things done.[12:22] Own it: What does it mean to encourage your team to take ownership over an action item? In this segment, Jan discusses how you can inspire your team to own their tasks and why doing so will hold them...