NC DHHS Module 2: Accountability and Stewardship Workshop Lesson Plan
Content
Introduction
Introductions
Participants provide their names,
title/responsibility area and office/county.
Facilitators provide introduction also.
Time
15 20
min
Notes
Review of Module 1
Review by asking participants to recall aspects
of 21st century leadership and any other topics
from Module 1.
Introduction of Module 2
Introduce the Module. Ask the group to
notice the words within the “Wordle” on the
opening slide. They are all different ways of
defining “Accountability,” which is the basis
for effective “Stewardship”
.
Module Overview and Objectives Page 2
Reference the overview on Page 2 of the
participant handbook.
Emphasize that being a good steward means,
“being accountable to the agency’s mission
and values, for the resources of the
organization or your department, and the well
being of your staff and the customers you
serve.” Briefly cover the objectives of the
module:

Understand accountability and what it
means to be accountable as a leader in
NC DSS.

Increase your level of accountability as a
steward of public resources with which
you are entrusted.

Apply effective methods for holding
yourself and others accountable for job
expectations and agreements.

Become a better steward of your time and
energy and the public trust, money, and
property
Point out that, as public servants,
managers are accountable to their
agency, but ultimately to the
taxpayers and low-income
individuals in North Carolina.
Content
Section 1: Accountability
Introduction– Page 3
Begin by asking participants: “Can you force
someone to be accountable?”
Time
Notes
10
min
Read the quote, “Accountability can be seen
as taking action that’s consistent with our
desired actions. It is also the willingness,
after the fact, to answer for the results of
one’s behaviors and actions,” by Mark
Samuel. Then ask participants: Does that
reflect your view of accountability?
Important point is: Accountability is
internally driven. It starts within yourself.
What is Accountability – Page 4-5
Ask volunteers to read the three definitions of
accountability on the top of page 4, and then
ask the group to reflect on and write down
their own definition of accountability. Give
participants 3-4 minutes to reflect, and then
ask a few volunteers to read their own
definitions of accountability.
The key point to draw out is that
accountability fundamentally means taking
responsibility for the outcomes and results of
your own actions, and the actions of your
work unit.
The Cycle of Accountability- Page 6
Explain that one way you know when you are
being accountable is to ask yourself if you are
in line with the cycle of accountability, which
requires us to be:

Responsible for our self

Respectful of others

Reflective on the process
Four Competencies of Accountability –
Page 6
Another way to know when you are being
accountable is to reflect on your awareness,
attitude, agreements and actions.
Awareness is knowing what is happening
within and around you.
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Some participants may be resistant
or defensive about the ideas
presented in this section. Based on
your sense of the attitude of the
participants after you finish
presenting the information, you may
want to probe more.
You may want to share a personal
story about a time your own
accountability broke down and how
2
Content
Time
Notes
you responded.
Agreements means making clear authentic,
realistic and actionable commitments.
You can ask participants to describe
how they know when they are being
accountable and give examples of a
time when they had a breakdown in
accountability.
Actions means walking your talk and knowing
the consequences of your actions.
Attitude is staying open to learning and to
what others have to say.
Point out the table that describes different
ways that accountability can breakdown and
be rebuilt.
During the small group discussion ask
participants to complete the questions on
page 7 and be prepared to report out to the
larger group.. The point of the exercise is for
participants to brainstorm some action steps
they can take to increase the four
competencies for accountability (awareness,
agreements, actions, and attitudes.)
Accountable Agreements – Page 8
The main point of this section is that people
are more willing to join and follow leaders
who exude influence than those who grasp at
control. Therefore, it is important for leaders
to be adept at making agreements with their
staff that support accountability.
15
min
Point out that accountability begins with
integrity – note the bullet points in the middle
of the page and emphasize truth, delivering
on our promises, admitting and learning from
our mistakes, and “intersecting” with different
interests.
Making Accountable Requests – Page
9
Ask a participant to read the quote on page
8, “Creating a social contract based on
partnership and empowerment is the difficult
emotional work of stewardship. This means
saying no to others’ wishes for protection and
relinquishing our need for control,” by Peter
Block.
The point of this quote is to emphasize that
asking for the right things in the right way
can be a powerful tool for influencing others
to get things done together.
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Content
Time
Notes
Note the list of questions on page 9, and let
participants know we will be exploring these
questions throughout this module.
Steps to Making Accountable
Requests – Page 9
This model is very helpful for
participants who are uncomfortable
with holding staff accountable.
Suggest it might be helpful- at least
to begin with- to prepare for making
an accountable request by writing
down their approach before making
the request.
Describe the steps and approach:
1) Assess the situation;
2) define the results;
3) ask for what you want; and,
4) invite a commitment.
Pairs Exercise: Making Accountable
Requests – Page 10
15
min
Provide the participants with the instructions
for completing the Pairs Exercise. Ask them
to try to complete their work in about 10
minutes.
After the pairs exercise, if you have
time, ask one or two of the
“observers” to report on what they
observed and they feedback they
gave to the requestor.
This role-play is an opportunity to practice
making an accountable request. The pairs
should identify an actual accountable request
they need to make when they return to their
work unit.
For facilitated conversation:
What is your request?
How did you make it clearer?
Did you use the steps for accountability?
What did you learn that you can apply back
at the office?
Dealing With People Who Aren’t Being
Accountable – Page 11
The point of this section is to emphasize that
a leader sets the tone for accountability by
modeling it…by demonstrating the behaviors
that they want from others. Walk through
the steps and ask participants to share
examples of how they would use these
concepts with their staff.
10
min
Acknowledge that it takes courage
to stay out of the blame/shame
trap, to own up to our actions
without being defensive, and to
learn from our experiences and
mistakes. Accountability is a state
of being that requires constant
commitment and practice.
Being Accountable Without Being
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Content
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Notes
Defensive – Page 11
The main idea of this section is that a key
characteristic of an accountable leader is their
ability to take responsibility for results rather
than blaming others.
Break (15 mins)
Section 2: Stewardship
Content
Introduction
Have a participant read the definition of a
steward on page 12, “A steward is a person
who is morally responsible for the careful use
of money, time, talents, or other resources,
especially with respect to the principles or
needs of a community or group,” from
Webster’s New World Dictionary.
What is Stewardship – Page 13
The key idea in this section is that as
managers in a public agency, the participants
have an even greater responsibility for
stewardship of resources and agency
outcomes, and the well-being of the
employees that work for them.
Time
10
min
Notes
This is an opportunity to thank
participants for their public service
and to remind them that they have
chosen noble work, but with that
comes “great responsibility”.
Leaders as Stewards of the
Organization – Page 13
Refer to the three critical steps for leaders to
be stewards of the organization: 1) take
responsibility; 2) establish discipline; and 3)
build accountability.
How Do Ethics Support Stewardship –
Page 14
Emphasize that ethics are about morals,
conduct and making judgments about what
we think is right and wrong. As leaders, no
one is watching over your shoulder and
scrutinizing your work minute by minute.
Point out that regardless of your actual skills,
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ethics support stewardship because it implies
the willingness of supervisors and managers
to accept the consequences of their own
actions.
Ethical managers put their ethics into action
through informed, systematic reasoning. We
will explore the power to reason and make
good decisions in the module on Critical
Thinking and Problem Solving.
Stewardship of a Most Valuable
Resource: Your Time – Pages 14-15
5
min
Emphasize that everyone in the agency
has more to do than they can get to, and
this problem tends to amplify when you
become a supervisor or manager
Read the quote in bold on the top of page 15
out loud. Make the point that stewardship of
your time is about more than time
management. Introduce participants to the
6 Steps of Effective Stewardship of Your Time:






Step 1: Analyze where you spend your time
Step 2: Define your priorities
Step 3: Plan each day
Step 4: Learn to say “Yes” and “No”
Step 5: Delegate
Step 6: “Unplug”
Step 1: Analyze Where You Spend Your
Time - Page 13
Instruct the participants to use the table on page
15 to estimate where they spend their time in
the coming week. Let them know a full
worksheet is available on page 19 in Appendix
A for completing this exercise.
Once they have completed the exercise ask
them to review their list and note any surprises.
5
min
Help the participants consider
what changes they need to
make. Mention some specific
examples in reference to the
questions – “Maybe you need to
reorganize your desk to find
your files more easily, or clean
off your desk before you go
home each day.”
Point out the bulleted list of ask them to
consider what changes they may need to make.
Let them know there is a good list of Tips and
Hints for Effective Time Management on Page
22 in Appendix A they can reference for more
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Content
Time
Notes
ideas about to be better stewards of their time.
Step 2: Define you’re your Priorities Page 15
10
min
Ask participants to review the Steven Covey
quote on page 15. Engage the group in
discussion with the following questions:

Do any of you identify with this quote?

What does it say to you?
Do you find yourself doing less important things
and not finding time to focus on the most critical
tasks and issues?
At the end of this group
discussion, emphasis that
effective time management
begins with understanding what
is most important and then
prioritizing.
Covey’s Quadrants – Page 13 - 14
Introduce this tool with by emphasizing that the
quadrants will help you identify what is most
important and most urgent. Give them some
examples of what might go into each quadrant:

Quadrant 1: Crises, pressing problems and
deadline-driven projects, meetings and
preparations.

Quadrant 2: Planning, values clarification,
relationship-building, empowerment,
coaching.

Quadrant 3: Interruptions, some phone calls
and emails, some reports, some meetings.

Quadrant 4: Trivia, busywork, junk mail,
some phone calls.
Covey’s Quadrants Exercise – Page 14
Instruct the group to use Covey’s Quadrants to
identify and organize their priorities.
Emphasize that while some of
the things that would go into
each quadrant could be similar
for everyone in the room, each
person’s filled out quadrant will
look different depending on their
job description and the unique
make-up of their team. (For
example, some teams require
more hands-on management
than others.)
10
min.
Capture the responses from the
group discussion on a white chart
When participants have finished, engage them
in a brief discussion about their results. Ask
them:

What did you discover about your
priorities?
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Content

Time
Notes
Did anything surprise you?
Let the participants know there is a tool for
organizing team-based priorities on pages 2425 in Appendix A.
Step 3: Plan Each Day - Page 18
Emphasize the importance of making lists and
keeping a calendar, daily, weekly, and monthly
Step 4: Learn to Say “Yes”/“No” – Page
18-19
Talk about the appropriateness of saying “no,”
when others are really asking us to take on their
tasks or adding things that are not priorities, and
to avoid saying “maybe.
20
min
Use morning “stand up” from
Agile concepts as an example of
a way for the team to plan a
day. The idea is that these short
meetings are so brief that
everyone can gather around
standing up to go over their top
priorities for the day.
Step 5: Delegate – Pages 19
Ask participants if they are doing things their
direct reports should really be doing, and if they
answer yet, let them know they need to ask
themselves why they are doing this. Give
some examples of the opportunities for
delegation, such as:

Giving work to senior members of the team

Searching your tasks and responsibilities for
things you can delegate that fit with the
person’s level of authority
Step 6: “Unplug” – Page 19
Stress the idea that they need to allow time
to disconnect from their phone, email and
take breaks where they completely step away
from their work.
Chart note the ideas participants
share about how to become
more effective stewards of their
time
Group Discussion: Lead a brief group
discussion to recap the stewardship of time
material and ask how leaders in DFCS need to
become better stewards of their time.
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