Burning Questions, Part I

Last week, we gathered leaders from across CHRISTUS Health for a leadership retreat. In my opening presentation to these leaders, I asked them to submit questions for me, one of which was, “If this was your last chance to meet with me, what burning questions would you like to ask?”

Our leaders submitted over 90 different inquiries, of which I answered about 50 at a later session. Over the next few weeks, I will be answering many more via email with these leaders.

One question that was asked by many had to do with accountability, what it really means, how it is seen in action, and how it can be measured. Because this is such an important question and its answer is a critical success factor for the future of CHRISTUS, I shared with these leaders the 10 accountability items that I have looked for in my daily work for the last 44 years. They are:
l. Follow disciplined processes in getting work done
2. Feel ownership for the goals of the organization, region, business unit or program
3. Work to remove unnecessary bureaucracy
4. Drive out costs at every level
5. Eliminate redundancies
6. Meet commitments
7. Commit to quality and safety in all work activities
8. Accept responsibility for getting the work done
9. Provide and receive rewards, verbal as well as monetary, tied to meeting goals on time and within budget
10. Create and experience clear expectations for who has to do what to get the work done in an excellent manner

It is my hope that these 10 Accountability Items will be helpful for our leaders in reflecting on accountability and sharing their thoughts and expectations with their team members.