I’m going to say it, even though you don’t want to hear it. Accountability at your company starts with you. If you don’t have strong accountability at your business, you are the only person to blame. There are only a couple of reasons that cause poor accountability at any organization. 1. You are not accountable yourself 2. You are not coaching, teaching, and expecting your team to be accountable 3. Your team fears something, it may be you and you haven’t figured it out yet. So, before you start pointing fingers, first look at the person in the mirror.
- You are not accountable. – I’ve heard it too many times, just this month from your lieutenants. Something is not getting done at your organization because you haven’t been around and you are distracted by trips, golf outings and extended summer holiday vacations. I even had 1 bold CEO tell me, “Honestly Rick, I’ve only been in the office 4 days this past month”. Leading a company is hard, even when we are present and working with our teams every day. If you’re not going to be present, find a hired gun to do the leading. Here is what also happens; if the boss is gone, we skip the weekly Power Hour or L10 meeting, if the boss is gone, we don’t solve the most important issues of the day, we are waiting to address them until he/she gets back. Etc. Etc. Etc.
- You are not coaching, teaching, and expecting your team to be accountable. Strong accountability skills take coaching and training from you regularly. Teaching the ability to be clear with expectations, following up properly with progress reporting, pre-briefing your goals and suggested processes, documenting expectations in writing, setting timelines and due dates, and benchmarking what success looks like. I realize all of this takes time and your attention, but it’s the only way we can truly be coaching our team on the success behaviors of an accountable team. We should also be coaching our team members on what needs to happen when progress has slowed or stopped on a project due to obstacles or unforeseen delays. We want our leaders to know we are there to support and help them through difficulties rather than just blaming and adding fear to the team.
- Your Team fears something. They may fear you! While there are many types of fear that can be present on a business team; Pressure to Succeed, Fear of Perception, Blame Culture, Human tendency to avoid the pain of admitting a mistake, Fear when we are overwhelmed. I wouldn’t look beyond yourself. I’d start by paying attention to yourself when someone isn’t accountable or disappoints you in some way, what are the words you use? Do you raise your voice? Next, I’d pay attention to my body language, do you lean into the person, do you tighten your lips and face, maybe you even clinch your fists? It could even be something as simple as rubbing your head with a look of disappointment. I would also include asking my reports on how I react or show up under pressure or frustration. Let them know you are trying to grow and improve, and you would like their honest feedback.
- They don’t care. As I talked with a good friend about accountability this holiday weekend, she shared with me a thought I had not considered, “It’s hard for someone to be held accountable when they really don’t care about what they are doing.” She was right, for some people finding or embracing the “Why” in a role or job is gone, it may have never been there in the first place. If this is the case, I believe we once again need to look at ourselves first. Are we sharing the importance of a job with our employees? Have they been able to see for themselves how what we do changes lives or improves our client’s condition? Do your employees see the passion in your behavior? And they may just be the wrong person.
- You, as the leader of your organization, need to be available and present with your team. If not, find someone that will be. The team is always a reflection of the leader. If you want Accountability, you need to be held Accountable as well.
- Look at yourself first, what are others seeing in my behaviors? Am I coaching and teaching Accountability? Is my team fearful of me and my reactions? Am I sharing the passion for our work with the team and helping them internalize the impact they are providing others?
If you would like more information about growing your company’s Accountability, please contact our team.
Rick Faber, Guru & Founder
