Helping Your Company Win: The Innovators

Do you want increased accountability and results? If so, start by defining your role.

Simply put, the leader's job is to ensure every member of the team wins, and winning means meeting the organization's top objectives. Companies such as Medtronic(MDT Quote) and Marriott(MAR Quote) understand this and use a servant leadership approach to create a win-win environment. I only wish someone would have explained this to me earlier in my career. This is so powerful due in part to the inherent quid pro quo. One of the best ways to help people win is to establish an accountability-based culture focused on results, not activities.

Here is a seven-step formula you can use to create accountability and achieve extraordinary results in your organization.

1. Establish the organizations' top three objectives. Only include the significant few, not the important many. Once identified, objectives must be clear, concise, measurable and obtainable; notice I didn't say easy!

2. Assign each team member his or her respective objectives. When combined they must allow the organization to achieve its top objectives. The sum of the parts must be equal to or greater than the whole.

3: Ask each team member what he or she needs to win. Leaders must remove the roadblocks that stand in the way. Do this by having each team member identify a maximum of three things he needs to accomplish each objective.

4. Agree on what the leader will do to help. Meet individually with each team member to clarify the roadblocks and agree on what's needed to win. In all likelihood the leader will assume some responsibility. Why? Because you're responsible to people, not for them.