Expert says accountability is key

An American accountability and leadership expert visiting Perth has outlined a series of key steps businesses can take to implement an accountable workplace culture. 

Speaking at the 18x18 corporate day in Perth on Friday - part of the four-day Professional Speakers Australia Connect24 convention - Sam Silverstein said accountability was the highest form of leadership any manager could have. 

"When you create an environment which is high in accountability, you have better communication, because people like each other," Mr Silverstein told the forum.

"When you have better communication, you're going to have better teamwork. If people like each other and work together, you're going to have a better customer experience, because the customer experience can never exceed individual experience.

"You're going to have creativity, change, innovation and safety, along with retaining the best people. Your people will be engaged, will be more productive and this will show up in profitability.

"And you will have the best leadership because accountability is the highest form of leadership." 

Mr Silverstein said an accountable culture in the workplace was built around five key pillars: design, model, education, protection and celebration.

"You either have a culture by design or a culture by default," he said. 

"A culture by default is the wild west, anything goes. Show up when you want to show up, treat people the way you want to treat them and have the attitude you want to have.

"As leaders, you have the responsibility to design and create your organisation's culture." 

On the back of tertiary qualifications in accounting and business at the universities of Georgia and Washington, Mr Silverstein initially went into business with his parents, and then with his mother in-law and father in-law.

Over the past three decades, this knowledge has developed into successful careers as an author and keynote speaker. 

Mr Silverstein told Business News managers who could develop a personal connection with their staff would be able to not only get the most out of them, but would potentially enhance retainment of their workforce.

"The most important thing to any individual is their family, it's not the job," he said.

"And if the leader thinks the job is more than an individual or family, then they're probably not a good leader. So if what is most important to you is your family, if that becomes important to me (as a manager), that changes our relationship in a serious way.

"It's not manipulative, it has to be real.

"But as a manager, when I really care about your family - and when I make sure you're able to do what you need and want to do with them - we're going to build a relationship and going to be together for a long time.

"This to me is the way to build really successful businesses."