Think back to grade school for a moment and remember when the teacher called on you to partner with someone for a project. If you weren’t partnered with your best friend (which 9-times-out-of-ten, you were), you made sure to team up with the most reliable classmate in the group. Someone who wasn’t going to push all of the work on you. Someone who would have their portion done; correctly and on time.
Now, fast forward back to present day, and you’ll realize, you haven’t changed all that much; you still want to work with the most reliable people in your industry.
Here are some accountability signs that you’re working with the best of the best:
1. Timeliness
And we don’t necessarily mean they’re on time to work every day (though, it definitely doesn’t hurt). Timeliness can mean everything from kick off to project end. Timeliness indicates certain qualities in a company: professionalism, confidence, control. These attributes say that they are on top of their game and ready to take on projects. If a company withholds, or is consistently late with delivering your project requirements or invoices, they may not be the best of the best.
2. Forthright with Problems and Expectations
Nothing is worse than having an expectation of a project only for you to get half way through and miss those expectations because the other party wasn’t up-front about capabilities, risks, problems, etc. When you work with a partner or company that is up-front about and plans for potential risks and problems, you know you’re working with a business that prides itself in honesty.
3. Offers Solutions
No one likes a complainer. So why would you work with someone who offers nothing but problems? Partnering with any business is going to present that moment where “Who’s responsibility is that?” and “This isn’t my problem, it’s theirs.” could arise. You want to align yourself with a company that doesn’t have that mindset. Search for people who not only let you know that there is an issue, but offer solutions or alternatives to fix it.
4. Knowledge Is Power
You wouldn’t put a junior employee in charge of your biggest account, right? So why invest in a partner or company that isn’t a specialist in what you’re trying to accomplish? Now, we don’t mean they have to have ALL of the answers, but a willingness to learn and apply the answers they don’t know is important.
5. Accountability Is Key
Finger pointers need not apply. Working with a company who would sooner throw someone under a bus than admit they made a mistake is the worst. Let’s face it; we’re only human and mistakes can happen. The company or partner who admits to those mistakes and makes quick efforts to rectify them is truly ‘top of the line’.
So, next time that you are talking with a potential partner, ask them about how they handle accountability. If you don’t like their answer, contact us, you’ll see that we take accountability really seriously.
