Michael Timms's Blog

By Lauren Niemand & Michael Timms

In our conversations with leaders, we hear the same frustrations over and over: 

“We’re really busy and keep making mistakes that cost us a lot of time, rework, and strained relationships.” “When mistakes happen, people often point fingers instead of owning up and solving problems.” “Too many people here are complacent and don’t know what high performance looks like.” “Our team associates accountability with blame and punishment rather than continuous improvement and high performance.” 

At first glance, these may seem like separate problems. In reality, they all point to the same underlying issue: organizations struggle to create accountability. 

And recent research suggests this may be the single greatest leadership challenge organizations face today.  

The Accountability Gap 

Gallup reviewed three decades of leadership research to identify the competencies that drive organizational performance. Their conclusion was striking: a leader’s ability to create accountability is one of the strongest predictors of organizational success.  

Creating accountability is the secret to high-performance.

But Gallup also uncovered a major disconnect. 

In their article, Accountability is Leadership’s Greatest Weakness, Gallup compared how executives rated themselves on leadership competencies versus how their direct reports rated them. 

The biggest gap centered around accountability. 

46% of executives think they are outstanding at creating accountability. Only 30% of their direct reports agree. 

What makes this especially revealing is that accountability was the area where executives and their direct reports were actually closest in agreement. They know accountability is crucial. They also recognize they aren’t doing a good job of creating cultures that support it. 

So why is accountability still so difficult to create? 

Why Accountability Breaks Down 

As Michael Timms notes in his book, How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability, we all have a self-enhancement bias that “blinds us to how we contribute to our own problems.”  

When executives try to improve accountability, they often focus on how others need to change rather than how their own behavior may be undermining the culture.  

We see this dynamic play out in real time with CEOs.  

During Michael’s keynote presentations, we ask executives a simple question using a live polling app: 

What would you most like to learn about to improve accountability in your organization? 

How to improve your own accountability How to hold others accountable Which organizational changes can make it easier for everyone to achieve better results 

Out of more than 1,000 responses, only 18% chose improving their own accountability.  

That blind spot becomes even clearer when leaders begin examining the single greatest accountability killer: blame. 

After teaching executives how to model higher personal accountability, Michael challenges them to pay attention to how often they blame others during the next two weeks. 

When they return, nearly 70% report noticing themselves blaming others, and 64% say they were surprised by how often they did it. 

64% of executives are surprised how often they blame. 

By contrast, when leaders create environments where accountability is associated with learning, ownership, and improvement instead of punishment, engagement rises dramatically. 

Gallup found that leaders who excel at “holding everyone responsible for exceptional performance” have teams that are three times more likely to be engaged. 

Executives who know how to create accountability have teams that are 3x more engaged. 

 If you see an accountability gap in your organization, changing the culture begins with changing leadership behavior. 

Closing the Accountability Gap 

Gallup concluded that, “the cost of getting accountability wrong, and the upside of getting it right, are significant.” 

The good news is that accountability isn’t complicated, but it does require discipline and consistency.  

To create accountability, leaders must first elevate their own standard of accountability, as explained in one of TED’s highest rated leadership talks: How to Claim Your Leadership Power. 

Only leaders who hold themselves accountable earn the right to hold others accountable. 

One example is Efficiency Manitoba, whose leadership team participated in our Culture of Excellence leadership development program beginning in 2022. The Executive and leadership team completed the program first, followed three years later by frontline leaders.  

When frontline leaders entered the program, they said the behaviors were so embedded in the culture that the training felt familiar, natural, and reinforced concepts they had already seen consistently modelled in the workplace.

That leadership example translated into measurable results. Efficiency Manitoba has helped Manitobans save more money and energy, and the organization was recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers in both 2025 and 2026. In the leadership assessment completed as part of our program, their leaders achieved some of the highest scores we’ve seen.

As we tell our clients at the outset: 

“Senior manager’s behavior establishes the culture.” 

We’re incredibly proud of their discipline and commitment to building a stronger culture of accountability and excellence. More importantly, they showed what’s possible when accountability is modeled consistently from the top.   

Where Accountability Really Begins  

Accountability starts at the top, and it starts with you.  

Organizations that build strong cultures of accountability do not leave it to chance. They create it intentionally through everyday leadership habits. 

When leaders model accountability in how they think, respond, communicate, and learn from mistakes, it shapes how everyone else shows up.   

If you’re ready to build that kind of culture in your organization, contact Avail Leadership to connect with Michael today.

The post New Research Reveals the Secret to High-Performance appeared first on Michael Timms.

By Lauren Niemand & Michael Timms

In our conversations with leaders, we hear the same frustrations over and over: 

“We’re really busy and keep making mistakes that cost us a lot of time, rework, and strained relationships.” “When mistakes happen, people often point fingers instead of owning up and solving problems.” “Too many people here are complacent and don’t know what high performance looks like.” “Our team associates accountability with blame and punishment rather than continuous improvement and high performance.” 

At first glance, these may seem like separate problems. In reality, they all point to the same underlying issue: organizations struggle to create accountability. 

And recent research suggests this may be the single greatest leadership challenge organizations face today.  

The Accountability Gap 

Gallup reviewed three decades of leadership research to identify the competencies that drive organizational performance. Their conclusion was striking: a leader’s ability to create accountability is one of the strongest predictors of organizational success.  

Creating accountability is the secret to high-performance.

But Gallup also uncovered a major disconnect. 

In their article, Accountability is Leadership’s Greatest Weakness, Gallup compared how executives rated themselves on leadership competencies versus how their direct reports rated them. 

The biggest gap centered around accountability. 

46% of executives think they are outstanding at creating accountability. Only 30% of their direct reports agree. 

What makes this especially revealing is that accountability was the area where executives and their direct reports were actually closest in agreement. They know accountability is crucial. They also recognize they aren’t doing a good job of creating cultures that support it. 

So why is accountability still so difficult to create? 

Why Accountability Breaks Down 

As Michael Timms notes in his book, How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability, we all have a self-enhancement bias that “blinds us to how we contribute to our own problems.”  

When executives try to improve accountability, they often focus on how others need to change rather than how their own behavior may be undermining the culture.  

We see this dynamic play out in real time with CEOs.  

During Michael’s keynote presentations, we ask executives a simple question using a live polling app: 

What would you most like to learn about to improve accountability in your organization? 

How to improve your own accountability How to hold others accountable Which organizational changes can make it easier for everyone to achieve better results 

Out of more than 1,000 responses, only 18% chose improving their own accountability.  

That blind spot becomes even clearer when leaders begin examining the single greatest accountability killer: blame. 

After teaching executives how to model higher personal accountability, Michael challenges them to pay attention to how often they blame others during the next two weeks. 

When they return, nearly 70% report noticing themselves blaming others, and 64% say they were surprised by how often they did it. 

64% of executives are surprised how often they blame. 

By contrast, when leaders create environments where accountability is associated with learning, ownership, and improvement instead of punishment, engagement rises dramatically. 

Gallup found that leaders who excel at “holding everyone responsible for exceptional performance” have teams that are three times more likely to be engaged. 

Executives who know how to create accountability have teams that are 3x more engaged. 

 If you see an accountability gap in your organization, changing the culture begins with changing leadership behavior. 

Closing the Accountability Gap 

Gallup concluded that, “the cost of getting accountability wrong, and the upside of getting it right, are significant.” 

The good news is that accountability isn’t complicated, but it does require discipline and consistency.  

To create accountability, leaders must first elevate their own standard of accountability, as explained in one of TED’s highest rated leadership talks: How to Claim Your Leadership Power. 

Only leaders who hold themselves accountable earn the right to hold others accountable. 

One example is Efficiency Manitoba, whose leadership team participated in our Culture of Excellence leadership development program beginning in 2022. The Executive and leadership team completed the program first, followed three years later by frontline leaders.  

By the time frontline leaders entered the program, they said the behaviors had already become so embedded in the culture that the training felt like formalizing what they already knew to do. 

That leadership example translated into measurable results. Efficiency Manitoba saved even more money and energy for Manitobans, and was recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers in both 2025 and 2026. In the leadership assessment completed as part of our program, their leaders achieved some of the highest scores we’ve seen.

As we tell our clients at the outset: 

“Senior manager’s behavior establishes the culture.” 

We’re incredibly proud of their discipline to build a stronger culture of accountability and excellence. More importantly, they showed what’s possible when accountability is modeled consistently from the top.   

Where Accountability Really Begins  

Accountability starts at the top, and it starts with you.  

Organizations that build strong cultures of accountability do not leave it to chance. They create it intentionally through everyday leadership habits. 

When leaders model accountability in how they think, respond, communicate, and learn from mistakes, it shapes how everyone else shows up.   

If you’re ready to build that kind of culture in your organization, contact Avail Leadership to connect with Michael today.

The post New Research Reveals the Secret to High-Performance appeared first on Michael Timms.

Co-Authored by Lauren Niemand & Michael Timms

In our conversations with leaders, we hear the same frustrations over and over: 

“We’re really busy and keep making mistakes that cost us a lot of time, rework, and strained relationships.” “When mistakes happen, people often point fingers instead of owning up and solving problems.” “Too many people here are complacent and don’t know what high performance looks like.” “Our team associates accountability with blame and punishment rather than continuous improvement and high performance.” 

At first glance, these may seem like separate problems. In reality, they all point to the same underlying issue: organizations struggle to create accountability. 

And recent research suggests this may be the single greatest leadership challenge organizations face today.  

The Accountability Gap 

Gallup reviewed three decades of leadership research to identify the competencies that drive organizational performance. Their conclusion was striking: a leader’s ability to create accountability is one of the strongest predictors of organizational success.  

But Gallup also uncovered a major disconnect. 

In their article, Accountability is Leadership’s Greatest Weakness, Gallup compared how executives rated themselves on leadership competencies versus how their direct reports rated them. 

The biggest gap centered around accountability. 

46% of executives think they are outstanding at creating accountability. 

Only 30% of their direct reports agree. 

What makes this especially revealing is that accountability was the area where executives and their direct reports were actually closest in agreement. They know accountability matters. They also recognize they aren’t doing a good job of creating cultures that support it. 

So why is accountability still so difficult to create? 

Why Accountability Breaks Down 

As Michael Timms notes in his book, How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability, we all have a self-enhancement bias that “blinds us to how we contribute to our own problems.”  

When executives try to improve accountability, they often focus on how others need to change rather than how their own behavior may be undermining the culture.  

We see this dynamic play out in real time with CEOs.  

During Michael’s keynote presentations, we ask executives a simple question using a live polling app: 

What would you most like to learn about to improve accountability in your organization? 

How to improve your own accountability How to hold others accountable Which organizational changes can make it easier for everyone to achieve better results 

Out of more than 1,000 responses, only 18% chose improving their own accountability.  

That blind spot becomes even clearer when leaders begin examining the single greatest accountability killer: blame. 

After teaching executives how to model higher personal accountability, Michael challenges them to pay attention to how often they blame others during the next two weeks. 

When they return, nearly 70% report noticing themselves blaming others, and 64% say they were surprised by how often they did it. 

64% of executives are surprised how often they blame. 

By contrast, when leaders create environments where accountability is associated with learning, ownership, and improvement instead of punishment, engagement rises dramatically. 

Gallup found that leaders who excel at “holding everyone responsible for exceptional performance” have teams that are three times more likely to be engaged. 

Executives who know how to create accountability have teams that are 3x more engaged. 

 If you see an accountability gap in your organization, changing the culture begins with changing leadership behavior. 

Closing the Accountability Gap 

Gallup concluded that, “the cost of getting accountability wrong, and the upside of getting it right, are significant.” 

The good news is that accountability isn’t complicated, but it does require discipline and consistency.  

To create accountability, leaders must first elevate their own standard of accountability, as explained in one of TED’s highest rated leadership talks: How to Claim Your Leadership Power. 

Only leaders who hold themselves accountable learn the right to hold others accountable. 

 

One example is Efficiency Manitoba, whose leadership team participated in our Culture of Excellence leadership development program beginning in 2022. Senior managers completed the program first, followed two years later by frontline managers.  

By the time frontline managers entered the program, they said the behaviors had already become so embedded in the culture that the training felt more like formalizing what they already knew to do. 

That leadership example translated into measurable results. Efficiency Manitoba was recognized as one of Manitoba’s Best Employers in both 2024 and 2025, and their leaders achieved some of the highest scores we’ve seen on our leadership assessment tool.  

As we tell our clients at the outset: 

“Senior manager’s behavior establishes the culture.” 

We’re incredibly proud of the discipline their leaders demonstrated in building a culture of accountability and excellence. More importantly, they demonstrate what becomes possible when accountability is modeled consistently from the top.   

Where Accountability Really Begins  

Accountability starts at the top, and it starts with you.  

Organizations that build strong cultures of accountability do not leave it to chance. They create it intentionally through everyday leadership habits. 

When leaders model accountability in how they think, respond, communicate, and learn from mistakes, it shapes how everyone else shows up.   

If you’re ready to build that kind of culture in your organization, contact Avail Leadership to connect with Michael today. 

The post New Research Reveals Leader’s Greatest Weakness appeared first on Michael Timms.

What could your organization achieve if nearly every manager elevated their leadership impact within one year?

Westview Co-op (“Westview”) operates a variety of businesses spanning 300 kilometers of prairie, including gas stations, grocery stores, home centers, liquor stores, bulk petroleum outlets, and agricultural outlets. After several rapid acquisitions, Westview struggled to integrate its newly acquired locations into its existing systems and processes. Compounding this, managers at each location had varying levels of management experience and different approaches to leadership.

Seeing these challenges, Westview’s CEO, Mike, realized they needed to build a stronger culture and consistent leadership approach. He believed this would streamline operations and create the kind of positive employee experience necessary to provide first-rate customer service.

The Approach

Westview’s leadership development experience began with managers receiving feedback from their direct reports through an anonymous assessment. Based on the results, managers received coaching and a customized development plan. They then attended workshops, delivered in bite-sized virtual modules, to learn techniques to hold themselves accountable and how to support team accountability. Managers received practical tools to help them complete homework assignments and were required to report their progress at each meeting.

Changing an organization’s leadership culture isn’t only about learning new leadership techniques; it also involves making organizational changes to support the new behaviors. To facilitate this, Michael met regularly with the executive team to align organizational practices with the new leadership habits. Avail Leadership also provided simple and clear communication to keep participants informed throughout the engagement.

After a year, direct reports reassessed their managers to measure progress and help identify next steps in their development.

Results and Spotlights

Nearly every manager improved their leadership scores within a year, with about half achieving significant growth. Additionally, most managers’ self-awareness increased along with their leadership acumen.

Here are a few standout examples.

Elevating Others Through a Positive Attitude and Willingness to Learn

Shelley has managed a gas station and convenience store for 24 years and joined the program with no formal leadership training. Her initial assessment was strong, thanks to her upbeat nature and her habit of always thanking her team members for their contributions. However, she received lower scores in areas like providing positive feedback and seeking team input.

After receiving coaching, Shelly decided to work on clarifying what she was thanking her team members for and asking them for their suggestions. These adjustments led to a dramatic improvement in her scores and, more importantly, in her team’s performance. Shelley observed that her team became more willing to take initiative, try new things, and feel more valued. As a result, six of her team members are now being developed as future managers. Additionally, her store experienced a remarkable $500,000 increase in sales compared to the previous year.

Shelley’s story demonstrates that leadership growth can occur at any stage in one’s career, provided they are willing to learn and adapt.

From Self-Doubt to Confident Leadership

During the program, Chris was promoted to a senior manager overseeing all business-to-business operations. His most significant growth came in self-awareness and confidence. Initially, Chris underrated his leadership abilities. However, a year later, his self-assessment had risen significantly, aligning much more closely with how others viewed him.

Chris also made strides in key areas, such as asking for and providing feedback, and creating an environment where his team felt safer making decisions. These improvements directly enhanced his leadership impact.

For instance, when an employee complained to him about their manager, Chris used conflict resolution techniques from the program to mediate a resolution between the two. He began by stating, “First, we are each going to look at how we contributed to this problem.” After some discussion, the employee admitted, “Actually, I think I’m the biggest part of the problem.” Together, they outlined steps to support the employee to better handle similar situations in the future.

In addition to feeling more confident in his leadership role, Chris noted that having his team participate in the leadership program made giving feedback much easier because they are now asking him for it!

Chris’s experience highlights how learning a few leadership skills can make a big difference in driving positive outcomes.

Performance Management Made Easier

When Vaylene became manager of a home center, her initial assessment showed that she was already a good manager. Her team members particularly appreciated her positive attitude and willingness to admit mistakes. However, she scored lower in communication and making sure team members know how well they are performing.

Through the leadership training, Vaylene learned the importance of regular one-on-ones and lessons-learned debriefs. When she integrated these practices into her management routine, she saw immediate results. Regular one-on-ones and post-event debriefs opened communication lines, making employees feel less defensive. “Performance reviews used to feel one-sided, but now they’re part of an ongoing conversation,” she explained. This shift encouraged employees to take more ownership of operational goals.

According to her follow-up assessment, Vaylene’s communication and performance management scores had improved from weaknesses to strengths.

Conducting performance reviews with employees is perhaps the most challenging task for a manager. However, Vaylene’s experience shows that scheduling time with her team for strategic discussions makes that job far easier.

Keys to Success

Every management team that has participated in this leadership development program has shown improvement; however, some teams have achieved greater success than others. Here are the key factors that made Westview’s experience a standout success:

The CEO Set the Example

A CEO’s willingness to learn and change is the most critical predictor of a leadership development program’s success. If the CEO sees the training as applicable to everyone but themselves, then so will everybody else.

At Westview, Mike was the keenest student and exemplified humble leadership. Recognizing his management team’s potential for growth, he sought help. Mike took every assignment seriously and regularly looked in the mirror to find solutions to organizational problems. Just as important, Mike enforced consequences for managers who resisted Westview’s new leadership approach.

Individual Coachability

Those who believe they already know it all leave no room for improvement. Interestingly, coachability has less to do with experience and more to do with humility and confidence.

Insecure people are afraid of change. They are afraid that they won’t be able to live up to the new standards. Truly confident people know that their greatest superpower is not their knowledge or experience, it’s their ability to learn, adjust, and apply what they learn to their advantage.

Westview stood out because of the high number of its managers who are humble, hungry to learn, and willing to try new things.

Team Commitment

The collective commitment of a management team has a significant influence on the program’s success. When all participants fully engage by attending every session and completing assignments, it encourages others to do the same. However, when a few individuals consistently miss sessions and put only a half-hearted effort into their assignments, it can undermine the experience for everyone.

To address this, participants sign a formal commitment to meet specific minimum engagement standards. While this doesn’t eliminate disengagement, it sets clear expectations and makes it easier to address unacceptable behavior if it happens.

Building a Leadership Culture that Endures

Creating a strong leadership team doesn’t have to be complicated, and it certainly won’t come from a couple of leadership retreats each year. It begins with a leader who is committed to learning and a management team that is willing to embrace change.

This article first appeared in Training Magazine. 

The post Overcoming the Challenges of Growth by Raising the Standard of Leadership appeared first on Michael Timms.

Succession planning is like insurance—you don’t need it until you do. That’s why it often sits at the bottom of a CEO’s priority list. But when the need arises, it’s usually too late, turning into a full-blown crisis.

Effective succession planning isn’t just about the C-suite—it has to happen at every level.  When companies don’t develop leaders internally, they’re forced to fill executive positions with external hires, who tend to underperform compared to internal candidates. And when employees see leadership positions going to outsiders, they realize they’ll have to leave to move up. This creates a vicious cycle: fewer internal candidates, more external hires, and a growing reliance on outside recruiting. Many organizations have essentially become addicted to recruiting because they’ve failed at succession planning.

Most conventional wisdom on succession planning is outdated, overly complex, and even inhumane. That’s why only 21 percent of organizations have a formal plan, and even fewer have an effective one. The good news is that leaders can take simple, practical steps now to avoid a high-stakes scramble later.

The Essential Prerequisite

Before you even attempt to tackle succession planning, you must address the elephant in the room: if it’s a low priority for the CEO, it’s not going to happen. To have an effective succession planning process, the CEO and executive team must own it, which hinges on two critical factors:

The CEO must believe in the importance of succession planning and make it an organizational priority.The CEO must have confidence that the person guiding the process knows what they are doing.

If these conditions aren’t met, any effort to build a succession plan will be superficial at best—and dead on arrival at worst.

Three Common Pitfalls and Solutions

Effective succession planning comes down to three essential steps:

Establish a promotion criteria.Develop your people.Identify succession candidates.

It sounds simple, and it certainly isn’t rocket science, but the devil is in the details. There are a lot of ways it can go sideways, especially when organizations use outdated, draconian methods. Here are the most common pitfalls in succession planning and practical solutions to each.

1. No Promotion Criteria or One that’s Too Complex

Most people are promoted to leadership positions based on technical expertise, tenure, or the decision-maker’s “gut feel.” None of these are reliable predictors of leadership success. To address this, many organizations over correct by establishing a complex competency model that describes the perfect leader—a standard no one can meet.

Solution: Focus on the few, most important competencies that leaders at all levels must possess. Here are some examples:

Models Accountability. Admits mistakes, owns problems, and focuses on solutions, not blame.Has Tough Conversations. Addresses issues with people directly, demonstrating care for the individual while being firm on standards.Empowers Others. Delegates sufficiently and provides coaching and appropriate autonomy while holding people accountable for results.

By focusing on just a few essential competencies, you allow leaders to bring their unique strengths to the job. Different people can succeed in the same role by applying their strengths in different ways. Once established, the core leadership competencies should become the promotion criteria for all leadership positions.

2. Focusing on Paperwork, Not Development

The focus of effective succession planning is on developing people, whereas the focus of most ineffective succession planning is on paperwork. HR tends to kill succession planning by requiring managers to complete long development plans for every employee—even those who don’t want it. Many people are happy in their current roles or don’t have the bandwidth for extra development. Why force unwanted and unhelpful work on them and their managers?

Solution: Offer development only to those who want it.

When development is optional, it becomes a benefit instead of a burden. It also shifts the ownership of development from HR and managers to where it belongs: employees. But this only works when employees are provided real development resources, including an accountability partner. This doesn’t need to be their direct manager. Some organizations establish career coaching programs to help employees take charge of their growth.

When employees truly own their own development, do they need to complete paperwork for HR? No. Employees and their manager or career coach may decide to record their commitments and track progress, but HR doesn’t need to monitor compliance.

3. Wasting Time on Outdated Tools

Many organizations evaluate succession candidates using the outdated 9-box matrix, a tool designed over 40 years ago by consultants who love complexity. The 9-box forces executive teams into a degrading exercise of labeling employees, where corporate politics heavily influence the outcome. If your approaches to IT, sales, and operations have evolved in the last 40 years, so should your people process.

Solution: Establish a committee to evaluate candidates against your promotion criteria.

Instead of trying to decide which of nine labels to assign each succession candidate, a succession committee must only answer one simple question: “Does this person demonstrate our leadership competencies?” The answer to that question should determine whether to include them in the succession plan.

Some people feel uncomfortable without a “tool” to keep the process objective. Having participated in dozens of these committees, I can tell you that nothing creates clarity better than a few specific behavioral standards. When members of the committee share experiences of how a candidate does or does not live those standards, the answer is usually glaringly obvious.

Succession Planning That Works

It’s time to stop doing succession planning the way it’s been done for decades only to end up living only on paper. By focusing on clear promotion criteria, real development (not just paperwork), and a simple, competency-based evaluation process, succession planning can finally fulfill it’s promise of creating a continuous pipeline of qualified leaders while keeping employees engaged and motivated to grow.

Michael Timms is a leadership and succession planning expert who equips senior leaders with powerful practices to drive measurable change. His acclaimed TEDx Talk, How to Claim Your Leadership Power, and his latest book How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability, are transforming how leaders inspire accountability and cultivate excellence across their organizations.

The post Simplify Succession Planning appeared first on Michael Timms.

“When you check my work, it makes me feel like you don’t trust me.”

This was the feedback I received from a team member—a sentiment I’ve heard echoed by clients whose employees interpret oversight as a lack of trust. One employee told their manager that regular one-on-ones felt like micromanagement. Another took offence when their boss asked follow-up questions about a proposed idea, perceiving it as a lack of support.

There’s no question that autonomy fuels high performance. But does that mean managers should step back completely?

Not if results depend on teamwork, because leadership is key to team performance. The real question is how can leaders foster accountability and high performance without undermining autonomy?

The answer lies in cultivating accountable trust—a trust that empowers others while establishing practices that improve communication, quality, and results. Building this kind of culture requires three principles that reinforce one another in a cycle of excellence: Show Respect → Extend Trust → Engineer Accountability.

Clarify What Trust Actually Means

When that team member told me she didn’t like me checking her work, it was a wake-up call. We had very different expectations about what trust looked like—and that was on me. Since then, I’ve learned to clarify these expectations up front, even before hiring someone.

One of my go-to interview questions is: “What does trust look like to you?” This simple question opens the door to a meaningful conversation about how they have experienced trust in the past and whether their expectations align with how our team operates.

For example, quality is one of our core values. To maintain high standards, we’ve implemented several practices:

Two sets of eyes on all client deliverables and published content.Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all key tasks. Regular debriefs on all completed work, including feedback on my own presentations.

To someone who equates trust with complete autonomy, these practices might feel like micromanagement. But to us, they’re signs of mutual respect and commitment to excellence. We believe the best ideas and our best work emerge through collaboration and feedback, not isolation.

Reckless trust is assuming people never make mistakes or have half-baked ideas. Accountable trust respects people’s competence while putting in systems that help everyone succeed. 

Here’s how to build accountable trust.

1. Show Respect

Respect is the foundation of every strong relationship. You can’t truly trust someone you don’t respect, and people won’t let you hold them accountable if they don’t feel respected. When respect is absent, small misunderstandings turn into perceived slights, often leading to passive-aggressive behavior or office politics. But when respect is present, people give each other the benefit of the doubt and go out of their way to help each other out.

The key to showing respect is to ask more questions and make fewer assumptions. Here are three powerful ways to show respect:

Don’t Blame. Blame is the most common response to problems, yet it triggers defensiveness and shuts down problem-solving. Instead of asking “Whose fault is this?” ask, “Where did the process break down?” This initiates a dialogue that leads to solutions.Model Accountability. It’s easy to spot other’s mistakes. It’s harder to notice and admit our part in problems. When bad things happen, accountable people ask, “How may I have contributed to this problem?” then admit their part.Ask for Advice. People often withhold helpful feedback because they don’t think you want to hear it. Show them you value their perspective by asking, “What do you think we should do here?” and “How can I support you better?”

When people feel respected, they are far more likely to respect and trust you in return.

2. Extend Trust

If you want others to take more ownership of their work, then trust must be extended, not earned. Withholding trust communicates doubt about someone’s competence or integrity. If an employee feels that their manager doesn’t trust them to run with an assignment, they won’t. Lack of trust kills confidence and initiative.

But when someone knows you trust them, they usually step up. Nobody wants to let down someone who’s placed confidence in them.

That said, accountable trust isn’t blind faith. Even the most competent people make mistakes. Accountable trust is about aligning on what success looks like and agreeing on how you’ll support each other to achieve it.

3. Engineer Accountability

Respect and trust lay the emotional groundwork for accountability. But sustainable excellence requires systems—practices that help people follow through on their commitments.

Here are three key practices to engineer accountability:

Clarify expectations. Most friction in teams stems from unclear or unspoken expectations. Before beginning a project or working relationship, ask, “What do you need from me to do your best work?” Clarifying expectations up front reduces misunderstandings and makes it easier to address problems when they happen.Use SOPs. Even the most skilled and experienced professionals make mistakes. SOPs help avoid preventable errors while freeing up mental bandwidth for strategic thinking. If someone on your team thinks they don’t need to follow SOPs, ask them if they’d board a plane with a pilot who skips the pre-flight checklist.Meet regularly. Instead of interrupting people every day for urgent issues, regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings create time for strategic discussion and reduces time spent firefighting. They are the ultimate accountability mechanism to stay informed on progress, follow-up on assignments, and provide feedback and coaching.  

When accountability systems are in place, people are more likely to follow through, which fosters even greater respect and trust, further reinforcing the cycle of excellence.

Some people believe that trust and accountability are at odds. The opposite is true—they amplify each other. But only accountable trust can sustain a culture of excellence. If you already have a foundation of mutual respect and trust, accountability systems will feel natural. And if you get pushback when introducing them, it may be a sign that the trust isn’t as solid as you thought.

The post How to Build the Kind of Trust that Drives Results appeared first on Michael Timms.

The most powerful policies are usually the shortest ones.

When GM’s Mary Barra replaced a 10-page dress code with just two words—“Dress appropriately”—she did more than simplify a rule. She sparked a cultural shift in how leaders made decisions and how teams took ownership.

This  true story, shared by tech CEO Wouter Durville, shows what happens when leaders stop hiding behind policies and start leading with accountability.

When Mary Barra took over GM’s HR department, she found a 10-page dress code policy. She replaced all 10 pages with just two words: “Dress appropriately.”

The HR team panicked.

A senior director sent an angry email demanding more detailed rules.

But Barra held firm.

When the director called to complain that his team wore jeans to government meetings, she didn’t cave.

Instead, she told him: “Have a conversation with your team.”

Two weeks later, he called back excited.

His team had solved it themselves…they’d keep dress pants in their lockers for important meetings.

Here’s what happened across GM:

Managers started making decisions instead of following rulebooksEmployee engagement improved as people felt trustedBureaucracy dropped as leaders focused on outcomes, not compliance

Barra realized: “If they can’t handle ‘dress appropriately,’ what other judgment decisions are they not making?”

This story highlights something I regularly see middle and senior managers struggle with: the tendency to abdicate leadership by hiding behind policies—or deferring to someone more senior—to avoid having a hard conversation with a team member.

It’s easy to point to a policy and say, “Don’t get mad at me, it’s company policy.” It’s easy to throw up your hands and say, “I can’t do anything; the CEO said we have to.” But that’s not leadership. That’s being a chicken and refusing to take accountability.

Leadership requires the courage to have hard conversations.

Accountable leadership means taking ownership of the outcomes you’re responsible for and doing what you can do to make them happen.

“What you can do” implies there will almost always be obstacles and constraints, but that’s also where your power lies. Strong leaders acknowledge the constraints, then focus on the variables within their control or influence to create better results. And one of those variables squarely within your influence is your team member’s behavior and performance.

As Barra’s story illustrates, having a hard conversation doesn’t have to be disciplinary. It’s about being clear about expected outcomes and firm on standards, and then working with your team to help them achieve those outcomes.

So, if you’re hesitating to have a hard conversation and wondering whether now is the right time—trust me, it is. Waiting won’t make it easier. In most cases, it only makes the situation worse.

And if you’re unsure how to have the conversation—good news! I recently wrote a piece called “How to Make Tough Conversations Your Superpower.” If you haven’t read it yet, check it out here.

If you are struggling with having hard conversations or anything I wrote above, please email info@availleadership.com, I’d love to continue the conversation!

The post Leadership Requires Courage appeared first on Michael Timms.

“I love performance reviews!”—said nobody, ever.

Despite their unpopularity, most companies still conduct annual performance reviews even though 98% of CHROs admit their performance management processes are broken. Why cling to something that doesn’t work? Because many executives simply can’t imagine a better way to enhance employee performance.

What if there’s a way to ditch performance reviews and improve performance?

Performance reviews are intended to enhance employee performance by providing feedback, setting goals, and aligning performance with compensation. While these are helpful strategies, the tool used to implement them often undermines their effectiveness, leaving employees disengaged and managers frustrated.

Why Performance Reviews Must Go

Performance reviews originated during WW1 and became the default corporate torture test of bureaucratic futility by the 1960s. If your company has evolved its operations, sales, and IT processes since then, take that as a clear sign it’s long overdue to overhaul your people processes.

Here are a few reasons why performance reviews don’t work:

Too Infrequent. Performance reviews often bundle months of feedback into a single, overwhelming session. That’s a problem because people can only effectively process one piece of feedback at a time. Performance reviews make feedback difficult to absorb and too late to do anything about.Is Subjective and Unfair. Most performance reviews rely primarily on the manager’s opinion. While a manager’s perspective is important, it isn’t always reliable. Manager bias is well-documented and poor leadership is often a key reason for employee underperformance.Destroys Trust. Imagine if your partner documented all your mistakes to ensure they have an advantage in the divorce proceedings if things don’t work out. But don’t worry, they’ll review it with you once or twice a year to prove you’ve received this feedback. No relationship would survive that, yet corporate executives wonder why employees don’t trust management.Encourages Defensiveness. When performance ratings are tied to pay, employees become motivated to argue their case instead of listening to feedback. In fact, performance reviews often trigger a fight or flight response like how people react to physical threats. Instead of an opportunity for learning, reviews often deteriorate into a negotiation for a higher rating.

Not surprisingly, a large meta-analysis revealed that traditional performance reviews cause employee performance to decline one-third of the time. Fortunately, there is a better way to achieve the goals of performance management through principles, not forms. 

Principles of Enlightened Performance Enhancement

The goals of performance management can be achieved in a far more effective way by applying the following principles:

1. Establish Expectation Agreements

The most common reason people fail to meet our expectations is because we haven’t clearly communicated with them. In fact, research shows fewer than half of employees know what is expected of them at work.

If it happens at all, expectation-setting is usually a top-down process. Great managers, however, also ask their team members what they need to succeed. For example, a manager might expect high-quality work, while an employee might require training, examples, or autonomy to deliver. Expectations should be a two-way street.

Clear expectations enable managers to hold people accountable fairly and provide employees with a mechanism to give feedback to their managers. Ironically, most managers only think about discussing expectations once an employee fails to meet them. Imagine how much potential could be unlocked if expectations were clear from the start!

2. Elevate Your One-on-Ones

One-on-one meetings are like the Swiss Army Knife of leadership. They are the ultimate multi-purpose leadership tool ideal for providing feedback, coaching, and discussing goals. Regular one-on-ones can and should replace periodic performance reviews. To make this happen:

Clarify Purpose. Most manager-employee interactions are about day-to-day issues, not meaningful discussions. In contrast, one-on-ones are scheduled time reserved for strategic discussions and to ensure employees can get what they need from their manager and address sensitive issues as required.Increase Frequency. Employees need more than a few annual touchpoints to receive meaningful feedback and coaching. While the ideal frequency of one-on-ones depends on team size and work complexity, weekly meetings yield the highest engagement. Regular meetings proactively address issues, saving countless hours spent reactively firefighting.Flexible Agenda. For one-on-ones to feel valuable to employees, they must have some control of the agenda. Shared digital agendas allow both parties to add topics throughout the week, reducing the need to interrupt each other. Different topics can be rotated on the agenda at different frequencies, such as weekly project updates and monthly goal reviews.3. Keep Managers Accountable

The purpose of providing employees with feedback isn’t to check a box on a form, which means it shouldn’t be measured by the percentage of reviews completed. Rather, the measure of feedback is how useful it is, and only employees can tell you that. This can be accomplished by adding the following two questions on a quarterly engagement survey:

“My manager provides enough useful feedback to help me improve my performance.”“My manager helps me stay accountable to my goals in a positive and productive way.”

When employees identify their manager on engagement surveys, managers can receive individual reports on their leadership impact. These results should feed into managers’ performance discussions and compensation. This approach not only motivates managers to improve their leadership skills but also elevates HR professionals from compliance officers to strategic partners who support managers with leadership development resources when requested.

4. Modernize Your Compensation Formula

Compensation is perceived as fair only when the process behind it is fair. Given the well-documented flaws in traditional performance reviews, it’s no surprise that fewer than one-third of employees feel they are paid fairly.

Consider these questions: Should star performers receive the highest pay increases if they fail to live the company’s values? Should employees be penalized for their manager’s incompetence or bias? And how can you reward team members who make sacrifices for the greater good? A single, subjective, performance rating can’t address these nuances—but a formula can.

Fair compensation contains four key elements: relevance, transparency, equity, and control. For instance, the stock market works because investors know:

Their returns are tied to the performance of their portfolio (relevance).Calculations are open to scrutiny (transparency).The same rules apply to everyone (equity).Their decisions influence their outcomes (control).

Employers can mirror this fairness by including these elements in compensation systems:

Relevance. Base pay on factors like market rates, individual performance metrics (measures of quantity and quality of work), goal achievement, customer feedback, teamwork (measured via surveys), leadership impact (from 360-degree feedback or engagement surveys), and overall company results.Transparency. Publish all compensation formulas and clearly explain the weighting and rationale for each factor.Equity. Ensure formulas are consistent within roles, even if they differ across positions. Transparency helps mitigate any perception of bias for subjective elements like market rates.Control. Give employees some say into which factors are included. Managers should help employees understand the behaviors and results needed to influence their pay.

Replacing subjective performance ratings with a formula-driven approach can create a fairer compensation system that boosts engagement and performance.

The Bottom Line

Performance reviews are relics of the past. By embracing two-way expectations, enhancing one-on-ones, keeping managers accountable, and establishing objective compensation systems, organizations can finally fulfill the promise that performance reviews failed to deliver.

This article first appeared in HR Daily Advisor.

The post How to End Performance Reviews appeared first on Michael Timms.

What if your entire management team leveled up in a single year? At this company, they did. The ripple effect was transformational.

The Challenge: Growth Without Alignment

Westview Co-op (“Westview”) operates a mix of businesses—including gas stations, grocery stores, home centers and more. After several rapid acquisitions, they struggled to integrate new locations under a single, unified culture.

To complicate matters, each business brought its own leadership style. Employees across the company were having vastly different experiences depending on who they worked for.

CEO Mike Isaak recognized the need for a stronger, more consistent leadership culture—one that could streamline operations and create a better employee experience across the board.

You can hear Mike’s story here.

Here’s a quick summary of the approach we used at Westview—and why it got results.

The Process: Creating A Culture of Excellence

The Creating a Culture of Excellence leadership development program begins with each manager receiving anonymous feedback from their direct reports. After reviewing their results, each manager receives a coaching call and a customized development plan. The management team then attends a series of workshops together. At each session, they receive an assignment to practice what they learned and are expected to share their experience at the next session.

Because culture change requires organizational support, I meet regularly with the executive team to align practices with new leadership habits. My team also provides ongoing communication to keep participants engaged and informed.

After a year, direct reports reassess their managers to measure progress and provide input for updated development plans. You can learn more about the leadership development program HERE.

The Impact: Real Growth, Real Results

Nearly every manager improved their leadership scores within a year, with about half achieving significant growth. Most also increased their self-awareness and leadership acumen.

Here are a few standout examples.

Shelly: Elevating Others Through Clear Feedback. Shelley, a long-time manager with no formal training, focused on giving more specific feedback. That one shift not only boosted her leadership scores but also improve her team’s performance. Today, six of her team members are being developed as future managers, and her store saw a $500,000 increase in year-over-year sales.Chris: From Self-Doubt to Confident Leadership. Chris, a senior manager, gained greater confidence to handle tough conversations and challenging situations. He also improved his ability to create a safe environment which empowered his team to take more ownership.Vaylene: Performance Conversations Made Easier. Vaylene made two key changes: regular one-on-ones with each team member and structured debriefs after projects. These created a consistent rhythm of communication that made performance management feel natural, not forced.Why It Worked at Westview

Every management team that’s gone through this program has improved—but Westview stood out. Here’s why:

The CEO Led by Example. Mike wasn’t just supportive—he was the most committed learner. He took the program seriously, reflected on his own leadership, and held managers accountable when they didn’t align with the new culture.Highly Coachable. Coachability requires the confidence to know you can handle new and challenging situations and the humility to know you have room to improve. Many of Westview’s managers showed a strong “growth mindset”—they could hear feedback without getting defensive and were eager to improve.Team Commitment. Every participant signed a commitment outlining minimum expectations. This created clarity, accountability, and a sense of shared responsibility across the team.Building a Leadership Culture that Endures

Leadership transformation doesn’t come from a couple of offsite retreats. It starts with a leader who’s willing to change—and a team that’s ready to grow together.

If you’d like to explore whether this program could work for your organization, reply to this email to set up a meeting.

The post How One Company Transformed Its Culture by Elevating Every Manager appeared first on Michael Timms.

Establishing a culture of feedback can help leaders tackle tough conversations more effectively.

Having difficult conversations is one of the hardest — and most essential — leadership skills. Yet, the higher leaders climb, the more they tend to avoid addressing poor performance or behavior, often out of fear of being disliked. But avoiding friction points doesn’t solve problems — it only delays them and often makes them worse. Authentic leadership has always required the courage to face issues directly.

While conflict avoiders may think they are being diplomatic, others view it as a weakness. The good news? Leaders who handle conflict well earn both the respect and admiration of others.

I once coached a CEO who avoided holding his executives accountable for their behavior. As a result, his leadership team turned toxic. Middle managers caught in the crossfire described it as a “Game of Thrones” environment. Whenever the CEO vented to me about their dysfunction, I’d ask, “Have you told them that?” His answer was always the same: “No.” By failing to enforce standards, he created a leadership vacuum — accountability disappeared, decision-making stalled, profits declined and safety incidents escalated.

While the techniques in this article can help anyone navigate conflict more effectively, they are especially critical for leaders, whose actions — or inactions — often ripple through an entire organization. That’s why mastering tough conversations isn’t optional for leaders; it’s essential.

Lay the groundwork

Tough conversations become far easier — and more likely to end positively — when leaders establish a culture of feedback. Here’s how to lay that foundation.

Set the expectation of feedback. Strong leaders begin all relationships by setting clear expectations. The most important expectation in any key relationship is feedback. Invite others to give you feedback and ask if you can do the same. This is essential to set the stage for honest communication. Ask for advice. People must respect you and feel respected by you before they’ll truly listen to you. One of the quickest ways to build trust and respect is to ask for their advice. While asking for “feedback” can appear like fishing for compliments or inviting criticism, requesting advice is “feed-forward” — it’s easier to receive and action.Demonstrate that feedback is a gift. If leaders react defensively to feedback, they can expect others to do the same. Instead, accept advice or criticism with gratitude by simply saying, “Thanks, you’ve given me something to think about.” This shows that you value their input.Provide more reaffirming feedback. People need to feel valued before they can accept correction. Regularly acknowledging what they’re doing well reinforces the behaviors you want to see more of and builds relationships of trust.

Once leaders begin modeling these behaviors, they must shift their mindset about how to approach potential friction points.

Lead conversations; don’t try to control them

Some suggest focusing on how the other person’s behavior makes you feel. “Use ‘I’ statements,” they suggest. But that makes the conversation about you, not them. Others recommend scripting out what you’ll say or rehearsing with someone else, but this approach can backfire. Overpreparing makes you less open to the other person’s input and reinforces the flawed idea that tough conversations are one-directional.

The biggest mistake people make is assuming they already have all the facts. They prepare a monologue, deliver their speech and expect the other person to simply accept it. That’s disrespectful because it ignores the other person’s perspective. Reality check: You don’t have a monopoly on the truth. You have valuable insights, but so do they.

The key to successfully navigating tough conversations lies in shifting your mindset. Instead of “giving feedback,” approach these discussions as Alignment Conversations focused on clarifying expectations rather than assigning blame. 

People can sense when you’re trying to control the conversation, which can make them feel manipulated and resentful. Instead, initiate a discussion to uncover all the facts and expect to change your perspective. Don’t try to direct them to your solution — again, that feels manipulative. Bring the issue to light and collaborate on the best way forward, ensuring both your needs get met. Here’s how.

The 4 steps of alignment conversations

STEP 1 – ASK ABOUT THE SITUATION

Start by asking questions rather than making statements. Research shows managers who listen first are four times more effective at handling sensitive issues. For example, you might say, “How do you feel the prospect meeting went yesterday?” This directs the conversation toward the issue without triggering defensiveness. It also invites the other person to share insights or facts you might not be aware of. They may even bring up the issue you’d like to discuss.

STEP 2 – SHARE YOUR OBSERVATION

Next, clearly state what you’ve observed. For instance, “I noticed that you interrupted me several times, which made it appear that you wanted me to speak less or that you felt I was hurting the sales pitch.” A strong observation includes the specific behavior and how you interpret it. Using phrases like “it appears,” “it seems” or “comes across” signals that you’re sharing your perspective, not making a final judgment. 

STEP 3 – ASK FOR CLARIFICATION

Your perspective may not be entirely accurate, so invite the other person to share theirs. Ask questions like, “Did I interpret this correctly, or am I missing something?” This shifts the conversation from accusation to fact-finding, positioning you as someone seeking understanding rather than assigning blame.

STEP 4 – FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE FUTURE

Once all the facts are on the table, shift the conversation to solutions. If their explanation resolves the issue, great. If not, you might say, “Thanks for clarifying. What could we do differently to prevent this in the future?” The goal is to reach an agreement on actions that will lead to a better outcome next time.

Turn conflict into trust

By following these steps, alignment conversations avoid the hard feelings that result from blame and instead strengthen relationships. Leaders who master this skill don’t just resolve conflicts — they build stronger, more accountable teams and create a culture of continuous improvement.

Tough conversations may never be easy, but with the right approach, they can become one of your greatest leadership strengths and your organization’s biggest advantage.

This article first appeared in SmartBrief.

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