1. Alicia Keaton, University of Central Florida
See It, Own It, Solve It, Do It: A Framework for Individual and Organizational Accountability
Alicia Keaton,
University of Central Florida

2. Moving Above The Line

3. The Oz Principle
Connors, R., Smith, T., & Hickman, C. (2004). The Oz principle: Getting results through individual and organizational accountability.
New York: Penguin Group.
In The Wizard of Oz, we read the story about Dorothy and her companions who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in circumstances beyond their control. Dorothy was suddenly ripped from her home by a tornado and transported, beyond her will, to the land of Oz. The scarecrow was consigned to a life in the fields because he had no brain and, therefore, no options. The tin woodsman was frozen with inaction because he lacked the heart, and the will, to move. And, of course, the lion was robbed of his courage and ability to live the life he was destined to live!
This timeless story brings together each of these seemingly helpless characters, all of whom felt victimized by their shortcomings and circumstances. Feeling powerless and unable to change their situations, they set off on their journey down the yellow brick road to the land of Oz in the hopes of finding “the wizard,” who will solve all of their problems for them. However, upon arriving in the Emerald City after a dangerous and difficult journey, little Toto drags back the curtain to reveal a powerless wizard who is pulling levers, blowing smoke, and who can do nothing for them. At the end of the story, we see that each of them eventually rise above their circumstances and shortcomings to achieve their results. Their success came not by the magic of some wizard who made their problems simply disappear but by their working together and finding the power within themselves to achieve their objectives.

4. Below the Line Ignore/Deny – It’s Not My Job Finger-Pointing
From where I sit, I don’t see a problem
It’s Not My Job
That’s not what I’m paid for
Finger-Pointing
Those people are to blame
Confusion and Tell-Me-What-To-Do
You actually expected me to deliver
Cover Your Tail
I warned you this was a problem
Wait and See
Things will get better as the year progresses
Below The Line is where the focus is centered on what cannot be controlled. People will feel victimized and frustrated; they become frozen in their actions and don’t seem to ever move forward professionally.

5. Definition of Accountability
We often hear people describe accountability as something that happens to them when things go wrong.
It’s a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results
You ask yourself, “what else can I do to make progress, overcome obstacles and achieve the result?”
You actively engage and deeply pursue solutions.

6. Above the Line – See It Obtain perspective of others
Being open and candid in my communications
Asking for and offering feedback
Hearing the hard things
The lion was robbed of his courage and ability to live the life he was destined to live!
People most frequently fail to see reality because they choose to ignore or accept changes in the external environment.
In most situations, people do know, in the back of their minds, that acknowledging reality means they’ll have to change something that they fear and even resist. That change generally begins with choosing to see a situation in a different way, and viewing a situation differently often means admitting that you did something wrong, that you yourself could have done more and didn’t.

7. Above the Line – Own It Being personally invested
Acknowledging my involvement
Creating and maintaining a sense of alignment
Committing to both my personal and my team’s objectives
The tin woodsman was frozen with inaction because he lacked the heart, and the will, to move.
People most often fail to own their circumstances because they cannot bring themselves to accept the accountable side of their story.
Ownership is the ability to connect current circumstances with what I have done and the ability to tie future circumstances with what I am going to do.
Owning your circumstances does not mean accepting the perception of others as total truth, but rather acknowledging a connection between your behavior and their perceptions.
Alignment: There are different levels of alignment. The highest level, the level that brings full ownership and personal investment is "Complete Alignment." All other levels, with their lower levels of buy-in, fall into the category of "Complyment." Complyment may "get it done," but Complete Alignment gets it done better.

8. Above the Line – Solve It
Constantly asking, what else can we do?
Actively redefining boundaries
Creatively dealing with obstacles
Staying focused on results
The scarecrow was consigned to a life in the fields because he had no brain and, therefore, no options.
As people begin solving problems they almost always encounter obstacles, both expected and unexpected, that cause them to sink Below The Line into the victim cycle.
Solve It Skills
Stay Engaged
Persist
Think Differently
Create New Linkages
Take the Initiative
Stay Conscious

9. Above the Line – Do It Reporting proactively Relentlessly following up
Doing the things I say I’ll do
Measuring my progress toward achieving the intended result
Dorothy was suddenly ripped from her home by a tornado and transported, beyond her will, to the land of Oz.
Most people who fail to Do It find it difficult to resist the gravitational pull from Below The Line, which can so easily pull you back into the victim cycle, wasting valuable time, energy, and resources, ignoring and denying, making excuses, developing explanations, pointing fingers, getting confused, and waiting on some wizard to make things better.
If you fail to Do t, you fail to improve your circumstances or obtain the results you want, but you also set yourself up for a continuing cycle of disappointment.

10. Holding People Accountable
What Rings the Bell
1.DEFINE
the Result
3. DELIVER
praise or coaching
2. DETERMINE time to report on progress
People can easily confuse work with results, particularly when it comes to challenging results. Clearly define the outcomes.
Set intermediate reports so you both can assess and influence their progress.
Praise for “well done” or coach when the results fall below expectations. Leaders can’t be so quick to offer solutions or even solve the problem. Doing so removes accountability.
What Progress Has Been Made?
Well Done? Or What Else Can You Do?
Connors, R., Smith, T., & Hickman, C. (2004). The Oz principle: Getting results through individual and organizational accountability.
New York: Penguin Group.

11. Moving Above The Line

12. Moving Above The Line
Externalizing vs. Internalizing the Need for Change
People have a tendency to externalize the need for change.
People inherently struggle, however, with the ability to define themselves within the problem.
Blaming Others vs. Taking Accountability
Instead let’s take all of the time, energy and resources employed in the Blame Game and channel them into a consistent focus on the organizational results.
Most people are quite skilled at recognizing there is a problem.
An accountable mindset is one that says, “If I’m part of the problem, I’m part of the solution.”
Human nature drives people to blame others when things are going wrong.

13. Moving Above The Line Working in Silos vs Collaborating
Organizational structures have long been set up with silos to create specialization and focus.
The goal in breaking down silos is not to destroy a department’s ability to make decisions for their respective areas, but rather to eliminate the issues that caused conflicting priorities, lack of information flow, and duplication of efforts and resources.

14. Moving Above The Line Doing the Job vs. Achieving the Result
Doing the job and Achieving the Results are NOT mutually exclusive
A key shift is creating accountability around organizational results
Telling People What to Do vs. Engaging the Hearts and Minds of People
The “Tell Me What to Do” Culture is a culture where people check their brains at the door, punch the clock, and check off the list of activities that define their job.
This activity-oriented mentality tends to be minus any proactive approaches to getting results because, “No one is telling me what to do”
A critical shift is engaging the hearts and minds of people instead of just their hands and feet.

15. The Oz Principle
Connors, R., Smith, T., & Hickman, C. (2004). The Oz principle: Getting results through individual and organizational accountability.
New York: Penguin Group.

16. Questions??