The Sacred Relationship

Last week I was working with two client groups where the discussion turned to the manager-direct report relationship. The sustainability of a company flows directly from the protection and nurture of that interaction, which is why I call this the “sacred relationship of the organization.” Organizations thrive, plane or even die depending on the health of this relationship.  The chief reason employees leave a company is a dysfunctional relationship with their immediate manager.  Senior managers need to ensure that the manger-direct report relationship is highly functional.  

In business (and in my book) I make a distinction between accountability and responsibility. I define the former as “a contract between managers and their direct reports” and the latter as “a feeling of obligation and caring, which, if it is not tied to accountability, can end at the level of feeling…and may or may not lead to action.”  

Consider the number of these types of relationships in your organization, hundreds? Thousands? Each one is a costly investment by you. It is critically important for you to clarify the language that’s used in this relationship. Companies succeed when every employee is working on what their managers hold them accountable to do – not on what they choose to do.