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Deidre Paknad, WorkBoard CEO: Sometimes leaders and rising leaders, or those new to the organization in particular, can hesitate when they use the word "alignment" or "accountability," and maybe think those are bad words or the words of a micromanager or an overbearing leader.
But if you think about what the opposite of alignment and accountability looks like from your employee's perspective, it looks like an employee who's thinking, "I don't know if this work matters, and nobody cares anyway." That's what the opposite of alignment and accountability look like. And that's sad for the people on your team and in your organization and it's bad for you as a leader.
OKRs and WorkBoard's strategy and results management solution help you inspire alignment and empower accountability. And I like to think of this very symbiotic relationship between what you need as a leader and what your people need to do their best work and to feel the most success at work.
So when you need alignment, they need purpose, and those are hand in glove. And where you need accountability, they need clarity on what they're accountable for — hand in glove. And you need speed of achievement. And in order to get that you need enthusiasm and connection from the people in the organization. You probably need innovation and that requires inspiration on the part of the people in your organization. And ultimately, for you to achieve your maximum outcomes, people need to get the maximum gratification from the work they do. And that comes from understanding exactly how that work connects to the strategic priorities of the organization and why it matters: Alignment and accountability.
