Accountability and Pillow Forts.
Last weekend, our family made a massive fort in the center of our home. Almost every blanket, chair, and pillow in our home was stacked in some configuration to make a place for the boys to play. We even stacked a ladder at an angle to define the entrance and for a ‘modern touch’. The boys loved it. They filled it with their sleeping bags and toys, and they spent a whole weekend night inside.
Despite the excitement and adventure that building the fort brought to our weekend, the house was a mess. We needed to put the house back in order before we became busy with the typical hustle and bustle of regular weekly routines and schedules. Not to mention, I also wanted the pillows back in our bed.
Lexy had gone to the store for some quick pickups, and I convinced the boys we should work really hard to pick everything up before she got back so that we could surprise her. So, the three of us got to work: Me, Clark (6), Charlie (5) and Clyde (1) — who just kind of wandered around while the rest of us worked on putting the house back together.
Before we started on the massive pile of to-do’s, I needed to clarify roles. We could have all just started pitching in with no direction or specific role to play. However, I knew that each of us taking 100% ownership of a certain part was guaranteed to give us better results. Ambiguity rarely leads to producing the Best Work or Flow.
As the natural leader and instigator of the pick-up, I assigned each one of us something specific to do. I told the boys we each had an ACCOUNTABILITY — a certain task we would take ownership of and complete it all the way through.
I was in charge of putting away the blankets and chairs, Clark was assigned pillows, and Charlie took responsibility for the toys. Watching Daniel Tiger earlier that day had me thinking — every task needs a song. So, I made one up. It went something like… “accountability, taking ownership of what we do, and doing it all the way. Accountability, so others can count on me.” We then went to work, led by me singing this new, made-up tune. As we picked up, I reminded the boys of each of their roles.
Clark, a powerhouse when it comes to goals, was done before either one of us — which gave me the perfect opportunity to speak on teamwork. While Charlie was still accountable for the toys, Clark could ask him how he could help. So, Clark started in with the toys as well. We continued on, working together as a team, until everything was put away. Then, as the leader and the one accountable for everyone, I asked them if each of their roles were “100”? (slang for 100% done — no excuses, all complete). They all agreed, and I had them each give me a quick overview of their work. They showed me where they placed things and in what order they accomplished their tasks.
There were some loose toys here and a pillow kind of crooked there but, other than these few minor adjustments, we were done. By each of us taking ownership of our individual roles and responsibilities, we were able to get everything cleaned up before Lexy returned home from the store.
Lexy walked in, noticed how clean the house looked, and told us all what an awesome job we did. Her reaction made us proud of the work we had done and excited that we were able to surprise her with a cleaner home. Each of us taking ownership of one role meant we could focus our energy on what we were doing while counting on the other person to do their job well.
In our business, we need to apply the same principles. If we go to a job after an epoxy chip broadcast, there are a variety of roles that need fulfilled: clean chips, sand cove, pull tape and put new down, get the mix station ready, vac the floor. Without clearly defined roles, we would all jump in and try to do everything. We can start vacuuming the floor until we notice some tape needs to be touched up. So, we stop and do that. While we are touching up the tape, someone else is free and notices the vac isn’t being used. They continue to vacuum the floor, not realizing that you had skipped a few places with the intention of going back over them later. So, it gets missed. Everyone is working hard, but no one is being held accountable for a specific task. Roles are overlapped, tasks are skipped, and there is no clear communication or system for what has been done and what still needs attention. We lose our Flow, and the process takes longer. Ultimately, we end up with less-than-Best-Work.
Now, on the contrary, when we do a urethane mortar install, we assign very clear roles and accountabilities: mixer, mixing helper, transporter, raker, roller, sand, sand getter, overall-little- thing-taker-care’er ;). And, when someone is falling a bit behind, we step in to help them out so that they can return with full accountability. In these situations, we have Flow; we find a groove, and we take tangible steps towards delivering our Best Work to our clients.
So, next time it’s a little fuzzy on who is doing what, try speaking up, asking for clarification, and coordinating with team members to come up with a plan of action. Because, when we are held accountable, each person can count on us, and we can count on them. We can grow to give our best, and our clients can then receive our best.
