“In some organizations, expense account swindling is fairly isolated, while in others, it’s an unwritten part of the culture,” comments Miller. “Either way, this lack of financial accountability needs to stop now. Employees who don’t have a problem lying about their expenses are just as likely to lie about other things, and who knows what that could cost you.”
The thunder stealer. Chances are, you know exactly who this person (or people) is in your organization. Odds are also good that she isn’t popular. After all, nobody is fond of a coworker or leader who steals others’ ideas and presents them as her own! Sure, she might say, “Brilliant idea—great job!” to your face, but the next thing you know, she has incorporated that “brilliant idea” into her presentation to the board and claimed all the credit.
“This one really drives me crazy,” says Bedford. “It’s a clear accountability breach because the person in question is breaking the trust of her colleagues and representing herself dishonestly. If you don’t nip these behaviors in the bud, you’ll lose a lot of great employees who are sick and tired of working with their thunder-stealing colleagues, and you’ll damage your bottom line in the process. Employee turnover is a huge hidden cost of doing business.”
The “indispensable” tyrant. We’ve all had this boss, too. He (or she) is the person on whom the CEO relies to get the sales the company needs to meet its goals each quarter. Trouble is, he treats everyone like dirt in the process. Screams, yells, insults, even threatens—no tyrannical tactic is out of bounds. The CEO may know (or at least suspect) that this leader is overly harsh, but lets his bad behavior slide because of the mistaken belief that he is “indispensable.”
“In this instance, the tyrannical leader is showing a lack of accountability to his subordinates and to his employer,” explains Miller. “Whether it’s codified in company policy or not, leaders should develop, challenge, and motivate their teams in a way that doesn’t tank their morale. When tyrannical behaviors are allowed to continue, disillusioned employees eventually take their talents elsewhere, costing their former employers a fortune to attract and train a successor.”
The chronic latecomer. These are the people who screw up meetings, upset customers and suppliers, and give your company a bad name because they’re consistently tardy. You don’t necessarily see the financial impact immediately, but it’s all too apparent after your clients call you unreliable and go elsewhere.
“Sure, there are legitimate reasons why even the most responsible person might be running late: a fender bender, a sick child, an unfortunate coffee spill, to name just a few,” concedes Bedford. “And yes, everybody gets a pass on this one from time to time when life’s curveballs happen. But if it happens again and again with the same person, you’ve got a problem. In effect, this employee is saying, ‘I don’t value my employer’s time,’ or, ‘It’s not important to me to honor the agreement we made.’ And that’s not what accountability looks like.”
The mistake eraser. This person could just as easily be called “the paragon of perfection,” because according to her, she never, ever makes a mistake. Over time, she has learned every trick in the book to cover up her missteps. She might tell herself, Well, last time this happened I just shredded the document, or, I’ll just delete the customer’s email again. No one noticed before.
“It’s easy to see how this type of lack of accountability can hurt your organization’s bottom line,” notes Miller. “If her self-serving behavior doesn’t immediately alienate customers and coworkers, when her deceptions come to light (and they always do), people will feel that much angrier and betrayed.”
