80: Should Ops Execs Stop Picking Up the Slack?

Find the full episode at yourfuturerealized.com/80.

Yesterday someone kicked off our conversation by saying: "

Why do I feel like I’m the one always picking up the slack? If I don’t step in, things fall apart. But if I do, I’m working every evening, drowning in work that isn’t mine!"

If you’re an ops executive, and may sound pretty familiar, and it’s likely you’ve felt this way more than once. Accountability is crucial everywhere, of course, but especially in operations. Why? Because when someone doesn’t follow through, it’s not just them, or your ops team, that’s impacted. It can create ripple effects, slowing down others across the entire organization.

Today, you’ll get tips on how to stop carrying the load for others by setting clear expectations and creating a culture of accountability. And I’ll share how you can make real changes without feeling like the bad guy.

Transcript

Yesterday someone kicked off our conversation by saying: "Why do I feel like I’m the one always picking up the slack? If I don’t step in, things fall apart. But if I do, I’m working every evening, drowning in work that isn’t mine!"

If you’re an ops executive, and may sound pretty familiar, and it’s likely you’ve felt this way more than once. Accountability is crucial everywhere, of course, but especially in operations. Why? Because when someone doesn’t follow through, it’s not just them, or your ops team, that’s impacted. It can create ripple effects, slowing down others across the entire organization.

Today, you’ll get tips on how to stop carrying the load for others by setting clear expectations and creating a culture of accountability. And I’ll share how you can make real changes without feeling like the bad guy. Find the full episode at yourfuturerealized.com/80.

Hey Ops Execs,

Why Accountability Is Critical in Operations

You’re the superhero of your organization, constantly juggling tight deadlines and high stakes. But let’s be honest: when accountability breaks down, it’s usually you who ends up picking up the pieces, isn’t it? And that’s simply not sustainable.

Here’s why accountability is especially critical in operations: Your team isn’t just responsible for their own tasks; they’re managing systems that affect everyone else. When someone skips a beat, misses a deadline or drops the ball, it creates a domino effect that impacts multiple teams and projects.

The Risks of Letting Accountability Slide 

The truth is, you can’t hold someone accountable for something they didn’t fully understand or agree to in the first place. If expectations are vague or unspoken, accountability becomes slippery. It’s hard to enforce something that wasn’t clearly defined from the start.

When someone isn’t meeting expectations, honestly it can feel easier in the short term to just pick up their slack than to have a tough conversation about it. But over time that approach will burn you out and leave your team underperforming.

And here’s something else: When your team sees you let someone get away with something, it sends a message loud and clear: “Can you believe she let him get away with that?” It chips away at trust and motivation across the board.

How Clear Expectations Can Transform Your Team 

The time for accountability doesn’t start when there’s a missed beat. It starts from the word ‘go’. Here’s how to make it work:

1.     Define Success Upfront: Be super specific about what success looks like for any project or task. Name the exact deadlines, quality standards, and roles, so there’s no room for confusion later. This likely means slowing down and pulling apart things you regularly do automatically.

2.     Follow Through Consistently: Once expectations are set, hold people accountable by checking in regularly and addressing gaps immediately. Don’t let things slide or pile up.

One of my clients had a team member who seemed ‘idle’ whenever she checked Slack. He wasn’t responding quickly and appeared offline during core working hours. Meanwhile, his deadlines were slipping, and his work wasn’t getting done on time.

Instead of assuming he was slacking off or letting frustration simmer, she scheduled a private conversation with him and said something like this:

"I’ve noticed some delays in your work recently and that you’ve been less active on Slack during our core hours. I want to understand what’s going on so we can address it together."

It turned out he wasn’t being lazy. He was overwhelmed because he was getting multiple tasks and mixed messages from several different people, didn’t know what to do first and sort of froze up. She helped him understand the priorities and showed him how to break down his tasks into manageable steps but made it clear that he needed to check in each morning with his top three priorities moving forward.

This kept him accountable without her doing his job for him and his performance improved quickly.

Make Accountability a Two-Way Street

Accountability isn’t just about keeping others on track. It’s creating a culture where everyone succeeds without burning yourself out in the process.

I’ll leave you with this question:  What’s one area where you’ve been carrying the load for someone else, and how can you address it today?

If today’s episode resonated with you, check out episode 13: "The Harsh Truth About Accountability" at yourfuturerealized.com/13 for more strategies on holding people accountable without fear or guilt.

Until next time, remember: Clear expectations = fewer late nights!

You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.