31THE PUBLIC MANAGER | WINTER 2013 CONNECTING DATA TO MANAGE PERFORMANCE 15 Roles Leaders Play to Manage Performance and Accountability by Chris DeVany W hen managing performance and accountability, frontline manag- ers take on a variety of roles as they interact with other people. �ese roles are the character that the manager assumes in a particular situation, much like the roles actors play in a film or show. Starring Roles Managers Play Here are the most predominant roles managers adopt: Coach Develops game plans and calls plays; makes assignments; encourages team members; assesses strengths and devel- opmental needs; builds individual and team strengths through instruction; allows members to practice skills; gives feedback. Team Captain Uses leadership and communication skills to build teams and hold them together; inspires confidence; commu- nicates the vision, mission, and goals of the enterprise to team members; guides teams in development of set objectives; helps members understand the positions they play; seeks participation in team projects; openly con- fronts conflicts. Cheerleader Encourages team members to excel; shows and builds confidence in abilities of team members; generates enthu- siasm and support for team projects both with the imme- diate group and from the organization as a whole. News Reporter Communicates information within the team; promotes the team to others. Fortune Teller Projects trends; decides or recommends best course of action based on these predictions. Political Analyst Analyzes the current politics of the enterprise and devel- ops strategies accordingly. Counselor Listens to employee problems; helps employees develop solutions. Parent Supports and nurtures employees. Referee Calls time-out during conflicts; seeks resolution; deter- mines penalties. Negotiator Is an honest broker in bringing people with different views together; negotiates for resources. Gladiator Battles to gain support or resources; fights to protect the team or project. Hunter Openly seeks new projects and sources of work for the team. Resource Allocator Determines or recommends how the team’s resources will be used. Spokesperson Represents the organization at professional, civic, or other meetings. WWW.THEPUBLICMANAGER.ORG32 FORUM: Detective Jointly identifies problems, determines causes, and devel- ops solutions. �e Relationship Between Performance and Accountability We must be clear about the relationship between perfor- mance and accountability. As managers, we manage oth- ers’ performance. Accountability starts with the working relationship with our manager. We best ensure others delivering on performance by holding ourselves account- able first. What steps are we taking to manage performance and ensure accountability in each of our roles? Let us take a look at each role, and consider advisable steps and approaches: Coach Managing performance. Conduct performance reviews ...

1. 31THE PUBLIC MANAGER | WINTER 2013
CONNECTING DATA TO MANAGE PERFORMANCE
15 Roles Leaders Play to Manage
Performance and Accountability
by Chris DeVany
W
hen managing performance and
accountability, frontline manag-
ers take on a variety of roles as
they interact with other people.
�ese roles are the character that
the manager assumes in a particular situation, much like
the roles actors play in a film or show.
Starring Roles Managers Play
Here are the most predominant roles managers adopt:
Coach
Develops game plans and calls plays; makes assignments;
encourages team members; assesses strengths and devel-
opmental needs; builds individual and team strengths
through instruction; allows members to practice skills;
gives feedback.
Team Captain
Uses leadership and communication skills to build teams
and hold them together; inspires confidence; commu-
nicates the vision, mission, and goals of the enterprise

2. to team members; guides teams in development of set
objectives; helps members understand the positions they
play; seeks participation in team projects; openly con-
fronts conflicts.
Cheerleader
Encourages team members to excel; shows and builds
confidence in abilities of team members; generates enthu-
siasm and support for team projects both with the imme-
diate group and from the organization as a whole.
News Reporter
Communicates information within the team; promotes
the team to others.
Fortune Teller
Projects trends; decides or recommends best course of
action based on these predictions.
Political Analyst
Analyzes the current politics of the enterprise and devel-
ops strategies accordingly.
Counselor
Listens to employee problems; helps employees develop
solutions.
Parent
Supports and nurtures employees.
Referee
Calls time-out during conflicts; seeks resolution; deter-
mines penalties.
Negotiator
Is an honest broker in bringing people with different

3. views together; negotiates for resources.
Gladiator
Battles to gain support or resources; fights to protect the
team or project.
Hunter
Openly seeks new projects and sources of work for the
team.
Resource Allocator
Determines or recommends how the team’s resources will
be used.
Spokesperson
Represents the organization at professional, civic, or
other meetings.
WWW.THEPUBLICMANAGER.ORG32
FORUM:
Detective
Jointly identifies problems, determines causes, and devel-
ops solutions.
�e Relationship Between
Performance and Accountability
We must be clear about the relationship between perfor-
mance and accountability. As managers, we manage oth-
ers’ performance. Accountability starts with the working
relationship with our manager. We best ensure others
delivering on performance by holding ourselves account-
able first.

4. What steps are we taking to manage performance
and ensure accountability in each of our roles? Let us
take a look at each role, and consider advisable steps and
approaches:
Coach
Managing performance. Conduct performance reviews;
help to establish and support professional development
plans for staff; assign responsibilities; encourage team
members; assess strengths and developmental needs;
build individual and team strengths through instruction;
allow team, members to practice skills; give feedback.
Ensuring accountability. Monitor our own performance
first, and meet regularly with our manager to ensure we
are delivering on what we promised to do; review team
performance with manager and receive their feedback;
follow-up on assignments we have been given; ask for
manager’s support when it comes to our own assessment
of strengths and developmental needs; review our indi-
vidual professional development plan with manager and
request feedback.
Team Captain
Managing performance. Use our leadership and commu-
nication skills to build teams and hold them together;
inspire confidence; communicate the vision, mission, and
goals of the enterprise to team members; guide teams in
development of set objectives; help members understand
the positions they play; seek participation in team proj-
ects; openly confront conflicts.
Ensuring accountability. Ask our manager for guidance
about which leadership and communication skills help to
build teams and hold them together; ask ourselves, “How

5. does our manager inspire confidence?”; “How does our
manager and do other leaders communicate the vision,
mission, and goals of the enterprise?”; “How have I seen
others effectively guide teams in development of set objec-
tives, help members understand the positions they play,
seek participation in team projects and openly confront
conflicts?”
Cheerleader
Managing performance. Encourage team members to
excel; show and build confidence in abilities of team
members; generate enthusiasm and support for team
projects both with the immediate group and from the
organization as a whole.
Ensuring accountability. Regularly meet with our man-
ager to review team members’ performance, and under-
stand from them what steps they recommend we take
with those whose performance needs to improve, as well
as how we can show and builds confidence in abilities
of team members, generate enthusiasm and support for
team projects both with the immediate group and from
the organization as a whole.
News Reporter
Managing performance. Communicate information within
the team; promote the team to others.
Ensuring accountability. Look to see how others effectively
communicate information within their team and promote
their team to others; follow their example.
Fortune Teller
Managing performance. Project trends; decide or recom-
mend best course of action based on these predictions.

6. Ensuring accountability. Ask our manager and others for
guidance on vision and forecasts; follow their lead.
Political Analyst
Managing performance and ensuring accountability. Ana-
lyze the current politics of the enterprise and develop
strategies accordingly.
Counselor
Managing performance. Listen to employee problems; help
employees develop solutions.
33THE PUBLIC MANAGER | WINTER 2013
CONNECTING DATA TO MANAGE PERFORMANCE
Ensuring accountability. Ask our manager for guidance
when faced primarily with the more complex problems
we either haven’t handles before or haven’t handled in a
while.
Parent
Managing performance. Support and nurture employees.
Ensuring accountability. Ask our manager for support as
and when needed.
Referee
Managing performance. Call time out during conflicts;
seek resolution; determine penalties.
Ensuring accountability. Ask for our manager’s guidance
when it comes to managing and resolving conflicts.

7. Negotiator
Managing performance. Be an honest broker in bring-
ing people with different views together; negotiate for
resources.
Ensuring accountability. Hold ourselves to the same stan-
dard we hold others to when contributing to conversa-
tions which involve expressing different viewpoints;
negotiate to “win-win.”
Gladiator
Managing performance. Battle to gain support or
resources; fight to protect the team or project.
Ensuring accountability. Follow the lead of the best exem-
plars when it comes to gaining support or resources and
fighting to protect the team or project.
Hunter
Managing performance. Openly seek new projects and
sources of work for the team.
Ensuring accountability. Deliver on those projects on time
and on budget.
Resource Allocator
Managing performance. Determine or recommend how
the team’s resources will be used.
Ensuring accountability. Deliver the promised performance
based on effective use of those resources.
Spokesperson
Managing performance. Represent the organization at
professional, civic, or other meetings.

8. Ensuring accountability. Follow-up on any contacts you
establish and requests for services you receive when you
are representing your organization.
Detective
Managing performance. Jointly identify problems, deter-
mine causes, and develop solutions.
Ensuring accountability. Report your findings to your
manager in a timely manner, especially when you have to
deliver bad news.
Modeling Behavior
�e closeness of the relationship between managing
performance and ensuring accountability is shown in
that ensuring accountability is modeling the behavior we
expect from others as help them manage their perfor-
mance. Holding ourselves accountable helps us improve
our own performance as a manager.
Chris DeVany is founder and president of Pinnacle Performance
Improvement Worldwide, a management consulting firm. He is
the author
of 90 Days to A High-Performance Team (McGraw Hill). He
holds
degrees in management studies and organizational behavior
from Boston
University. Contact him at [email protected] or via
www.ppiw.com.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further
reproduction prohibited without
permission.