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Employees who feel a sense of ownership over their work and its results can help bring your organization through tough times.

As we venture into the new decade, the challenges of successfully competing in today’s and tomorrow’s economy continue to mount. Companies have responded by restructuring, downsizing, and experimenting. Regardless of their approach, more and more companies realize the importance of a workforce ready to commit to giving its very best.

In the good old days, accountability was not an issue. People came to work to do their job under the direction of the boss.” Jobs well done were rewarded with a paycheck. People not committed to doing the job up to standard were simply let go. Although the old command-and-control style of leadership had its advantages, the changing values of today’s workforce and the increasing complexity of work demands that leaders create an environment that values and requires innovation and self-responsibility on the part of the employee.

So, how do you create an accountable culture? The following six concepts will help you achieve this goal.

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The Perils of Moving Up the Corporate Ladder

In a recent survey, the number one concern of 100 new supervisors and managers promoted from within the organization was how to build a cohesive team when all individuals on the team are not in total support of the new boss. Newly appointed supervisors and managers promoted from within an organization are confronted with a unique set of challenges and problems. Some new supervisors felt so frustrated by lack of support and not knowing what to do to rectify the situation that they actually couldn’t sleep well.

Anytime a supervisor or manager is promoted from within his own work group, there is a chance that other team members might not be in total support of the new leader. Employees state various reasons why they do not provide support: 1) employee has more seniority; 2) employee feels he knows the job better; 3) employee was told by someone in the past that he would be considered as the next supervisor; 4) employee is just resentful he was passed over.

Whatever the employees’ reasons, the supervisor is left with the task of rebuilding the team and realigning the spirit of the disgruntled employees.

The following six suggestions have been helpful to newly-appointed supervisors and managers:

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Monday mornings can be difficult. You come back from a relaxing weekend to be bombarded by meetings, phone calls, and basically any other distraction under the sun. To help inspire you to seize the week, we send out a free Leadership Quote of the Week email on Monday mornings. Quotes from inspirational leaders will remind you of your role as a leader, and inspire you to look at the upcoming week in a new light.

Sign up here to start your week off with a little perspective.

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Never under-estimate the value of an open mind.

“I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.”

-Everett Dirksen, U.S. politician who helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964

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Guiding Employees Through Change

Change proves to be a challenge not just for supervisors and managers, but for employees as well. This adds another dimension to the already difficult situation: guiding the employees through the change. After all, organizations don’t change, people do.

The following are eight suggestions that will help managers and supervisors guide employees through organizational change.

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Anticipating Employee’s Responses to Organizational Change

When your organization is facing obstacles that require change in order to succeed, staff, ie, the people in the organization, need to change.

Simple, right? Wrong! The problem for managers and supervisors is that most employees do not respond with the attitude of, “Fantastic! Another organizational change. I can’t wait to get started.” We have found that when change is introduced to an organization, or better yet, rumored, employees will respond in one of these three ways:

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How to Tactfully Discuss Customer Complaints with Employees

We all want our customers to be happy and to let us know when something has gone awry, but do you know how to successfully handle situations where multiple customers complain about a long-term employee?

This can put you in a difficult position, but if you do not handle the problem correctly, it will just keep happening. If you don’t confront the behaviors that lead to customer complaints, you will lose respect as a leader from not only the employee we are discussing, but your other team members as well. The bottom line is you need people on the front line that every customer views as courteous, knowledgeable and dependable. Following the steps below will help you in dealing with this difficult situation.

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Handling Problem Employees

Several managers have relayed stories to us about their employees’ lack of commitment and support for teamwork. Sometimes the employees are relatively new to the organization. More often than not, the employees they are describing have been with the organization or the department for a long time. Either way, when employees do not display behaviors that promote teamwork, there is a problem and the manager needs to address the issue.

Team members do not have to like teamwork. They do not even have to believe that the formation of the team was a good idea. But team members are supposed to do everything that they can, in their particular job, to make the team successful. That is their job.

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From January 2010 Quest

For the last 20 years, we have had the privilege of working with thousands of leaders. Leaders who are passionate about life and love what they do to earn their living. Leaders who are CEO’s, managers and supervisors representing all types of organizations and industries.

What is important to note is that each of the leaders we have worked with and every one of us who is reading this article are equally fortunate in one way: we are all blessed with the same amount of time each day. Everyone has the exact same 1,440 minutes each day and 365 days each year. Although we are all granted the same amount of time in a day, some people accomplish a lot more in their time than others do.

How are these people able to accomplish so much more?

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Creating a Culture Rich in Innovative Product Development and Creative Problem Solving

Thirty years ago, when you had a unique product, you knew you were probably going to be safe from a competitive price war for two or three years. Today, the time it takes a competitor to figure out what you are doing, copy your product or service, and have it on the market competing head to head with you at a lower price has dropped to days, not months or years. And when everyone has basically the same products and services, it may seem that the only way you can differentiate your products from a competitor’s, is on price. When the only differentiator is price, eventually margins erode and everyone loses.

If a low price doesn’t make you stand out, what will? Innovation. Exactly what is involved in innovation depends on several factors, such as your desired company culture, mission statement, vision etc. For example, Zappos‘ mission is to provide excellent customer service. It is mandatory for all new employees, even executives, to spend four weeks as a customer service representative and one week in the Kentucky warehouse prior to entering their position. Also, Zappos handles a great deal of customer service through their Twitter page and YouTube Channel. They even pay (bribe) their employees to quit in order to ensure that every employee’s interest really is in serving the customers! Watch the video below for more details.

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Don’t Let this Happen!

I’m a nice customer. You all know me. I’m the one who never complains, no matter what kind of service I get.

I’ll go into a restaurant and sit quietly while the waiters and waitresses gossip and never bother to ask if anyone has taken my order. Sometimes a party that came in after I did gets their order taken before me, but I don’t complain. I just wait.

And when I go to the store to buy something, I don’t throw my weight around. I try to be thoughtful of the other person. If a snooty salesperson gets upset because I want to look at several things before making up my mind, I’m just as polite as can be. I don’t believe rudeness in return is the answer.

I never kick. I never nag. I never criticize. And I wouldn’t dream of making a scene, as I’ve seen some people in public places. I think that’s uncalled for. No, I’m the nice customer.

And I’ll tell you who else I am.

I’m the customer that never comes back!

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Put Your Ego Aside

We work with many managers and supervisors who would not have problems–or could have minimized their problems–if they had said, “I am sorry” or “I need your help.” This sounds easy enough. But if it is so easy, why do some people in leadership find it so hard to use these two simple skills that our mothers taught us at a very early age?

Often when managers refuse to say, “I am sorry” or “I need your help,” it’s because the managers or supervisors view these actions as a sign of weakness or lack of confidence in their decisions. In one particular case, a manager was willing to lose his job rather than to admit he was in the wrong and say he was sorry. This manager repeatedly stated he could not say he was sorry because he felt he had done nothing wrong. It was the principle of the matter! The manager was fired, but he was able to leave the company singing, “I did it my way.” His ego got him into trouble. It was his pride that kept him there.

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Surpass Customer Expectations

What is your company doing to raise the bar and exceed your customers’ expectations? If you are not continually improving how you produce your products and deliver your service, you cannot exceed your customers’ expectations. Customers are pickier, now more than ever, about where they spend their money. Look at it from your customers’ perspective: what makes your company so special to them that they are willing to spend hours/days/weeks of their pay on your products or services? And how can you make what you have to offer important enough for them to want to suggest your organization to their friends and families?

The following six recommendations will help your organization take customer satisfaction to an even higher level.

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