There’s a dirty word in our culture right now for leaders:
“Accountability”
Did you shudder?
When you hear “accountability” you might think about drama, mistakes, or messiness. It sounds clinical and cold.
We treat accountability like something that only happens when things are going wrong.
We avoid accountability until the very last minute, until someone makes a big mistake, and we must take drastic action.
Then we look back and say “See, accountability is hard, that conversation was awful!”
This isn’t the case at all!
The problem here was the lack of accountability.
You waited until the last minute, until a mistake was made. Now you’re having a tough discussion with a team member.
That’s not accountability, that’s a reaction. It builds resentment and it isn’t productive.
So, what is accountability?
Accountability is consistent communication about expectations.
Why is accountability important?
Ever heard the old saying “What’s measured matters.”?
It’s true. If something really matters to us we measure it!
Think about your favorite sport…
How exciting would the game be if we didn’t keep score?
Think about your spouse or partner…
Would anniversaries be exciting if you didn’t track your years together?
We measure these things because they matter to us.
When it comes to measuring success at work accountability is your microscope. It’s crucial to seeing where you can improve and where you’re knocking it out of the park.
Accountability empowers you to make sure everyone in your organization is on the same mission. It also allows you to serve more by listening to the challenges of your team.
So here’s a toolkit for healthy accountability.
This is something you can use TODAY with your team:
Step 1 – Set-up, take time to plan out your process and communication plan. Don’t just wing-it! Let people know it’s coming and what they can expect.
Step 2 – Line-up, get everyone gathered and communicate the directives and expectations. Ask if everyone is clear. There are various ways to communicate this, but the clearest and most honoring way is the best. Have a meal (free food) on hand for after the line-up. People pay more attention when hungry and then being rewarded with grub. Remember this truth from the Author Brené Brown., “Clear is kind, unclear is unkind.”
Step 3 – Follow-up, inspect what you expect. This should be a daily or weekly routine. And remember, “what’s rewarded is repeated.” Don’t shy away from giving authentic compliments.
The key to making all of this work is frequency. When your team expects regular accountability, it becomes a tool to communicate and measure, NOT a punishment or reaction.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the accountability process and more importantly enjoy the rewards of getting better results.
