Ducks In A Row: Actions Have Consequences
by Miki Saxon
It seems that more and more people these days confuse accountability and consequences with ultimatums and punishment.
I thought it would be a good idea to sort this out, since the former is a part of a strong, healthy culture, while the latter is a major factor in an abusive one.
Accountability stems from the public nature of an action, whether planned or unplanned, and usually includes an unstated request for support and a greater incentive to follow through because others know (the reason for making it public).
Weight Watchers offers accountability and support through its public nature.
Consequences are the result of an action; they may be good, bad or depend on your view of the situation.
In other words, cause and effect—doing A results in B.
- The consequence of studying hard is a good grade on the test.
- The consequence of writing a check with insufficient funds in your account is having it bounce.
- The consequence of not immediately responding to an email may be neutral for you and frustrating for the sender.
Even if you don’t like the idea of consequences there’s no way to stop them. Everything you do, say, even thing has at least one effect if not more.
Business, obviously, is a hot bed of cause and effect—both little and large and often a domino effect.
The vp of engineering announces that the new product will be ready for the big trade show.
Accountability!
But…
The developer out for a week of jury duty is late finishing her part of the project, which slows the team and the project itself is late. Just-in-time purchasing finds a crucial part that was available at the original deadline is now on back order slowing the project still more; by the time the parts arrive manufacturing is in the middle of a scheduled software upgrade that can’t be interrupted, which forces marketing to use a prototype instead of a production version for a crucial trade show making it more difficult for the sales team to convince customers that the product will ship when they need it.
Consequences!
Everybody knows that actions have consequences and you lose credibility if you claim there are none, but consequences have nothing to do with punishment.
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March 4th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.
http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2009/03/04/3409-midweek-look-at-the-independent-business-blogs.aspx
Just so you know, I suspect you of channeling my mother.
Wally Bock
March 4th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Thanks, Wally, I appreciate the compliment (actually I appreciate any/all compliments:)
It’s nice that I channel your mom, who must be absolutely terrific, but it would be better if the current crop of parents were channeling her!
March 4th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
She was indeed quite a person. One day I complained that I didn’t like it when she punished me.
She gave me the mom look and said, “I never punish you. But as your mother, sometimes I have to deliver the consequences of your behavior.”
March 4th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Not to disagree with your mother, but I really do have a problem when consequences equal punishment. That is exactly the opposite of what the post was trying to convey.
In my view, the equation looks more like action (cause) —> consequences (effect) = reward OR punishment OR nothing.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Actually you’re not disagreeing at all. My comment was intended to relate an incident. Mom’s idea was that consequences (good and bad) should be the natural and inevitable result of behavior.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Cool. Any ideas how to reintroduce the idea of cause/effect to the current generations? And the older ones who seem to have forgotten based on what is currently happening.
March 5th, 2009 at 7:08 am
May I add that doing nothing is also an action for which the consequences are rarely obvious.
It usually enables to escape both punishment and accountability.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:19 am
You certainly may, Denis. Excellent point and one that is all too often overlooked. The effects are not only difficult to perceive, but also extremely damaging.
Thanks for pointing that out!
March 17th, 2009 at 5:30 am
[...] When you commit publicly you make yourself accountable. [...]