How to Hold Others Accountable

What do you think of when you hear that someone is "being held accountable?" From my years working in organizations, I've gotten the sense that when people say or hear that phrase, what they mean is that the person has done something wrong, and is now on the receiving end of some kind of consequence. This is an inaccurate and misleading view of what it means to hold someone accountable. Holding someone accountable is completely separate from doling out a consequence, like criticism, or firing the person.

That misunderstanding leads to two problems. First, it makes the idea of holding others accountable far more difficult than it needs to be. I've seen countless executives avoid holding someone accountable because they are reluctant to criticize or take corrective action. This is understandable, because those are not easy conversations. Second, when those executives do work up the courage to have that conversation, they may mistakenly believe they're having an accountability conversation, when in fact, they've skipped accountability and gone straight to consequences.

Holding someone accountable is a communication skill, pure and simple. It's a conversation. Here's a 3-step model for how to hold someone accountable.

Ask for the other person's account

When holding someone accountable, the first step is always to ask them for their account of the topic or events in question. Temporarily, you need to set aside your own conclusions about what's happened. This may be counterintuitive, but it's completely necessary. Holding them accountable means creating the space for them to be accountable. You create the space with the question and you hold the space in the next step.

Listen to the other person's account

The second step is to listen. This may be the most difficult step for many executives. In my experience, listening is the single most important skill in any executive's toolbox, yet it's usually a skill without sufficient depth. Most executives are masters at listening through the lens of their own perspective. That's important, but insufficient. Executives must be able to listen on deeper levels when necessary, like with accountability conversations. By setting aside their own perspective at this point, an executive can focus on truly understanding the other person's perspective. This is the very heart of holding someone accountable. You are holding the space for someone to be accountable, and for them to be accountable, you have to get out of their way.

Respond only after the account has been heard

Above I said to set your perspective aside temporarily. Obviously, your perspective matters. It's your job to have a perspective. The problem is when your perspective prevents you from understanding other perspectives. How do you know when you've truly understood another person's perspective? The answer is: when they feel heard. Not when you feel you've heard enough, and not when they recite a perspective that agrees with yours, but when they show that they feel heard. Then, and only then, should you allow your perspective back into the conversation. You can now offer your own perspective. Be as clear, direct, and honest as you can be about how you see the situation. Do your best to help them understand it, but recognize that you can't force them agree to with your perspective.

Ask, Listen, and Respond

Simple doesn't mean easy, but simple it is. What most often goes wrong is failing to listen skillfully enough. This is why I always advise executives, if you want to get better at your job, do everything you can to improve your listening skills. Take a class, hire a coach, get feedback. Knowing how to listen at deeper levels will super-charge everything else you do as an executive.

By distinguishing between the accountability conversation and subsequent actions, more possibilities open up for accountability conversations. The accountability conversation can work equally well in circumstances that are going well. Imagine holding people accountable for their successes, which can lead to actions such as public recognition, promotions, etc. Or imagine holding your boss accountable. Most people avoid this like the plague, because it's fraught with danger and your options for action are more limited. But if you are skilled, you can bring up difficult circumstances with your boss using Ask, Listen, and Respond.

As an executive, you are accountable for the results of your team. The only tool you have in service of creating those results is communication. Let me say that again in a different way: everything you do as an executive is communication. Everything. The most powerful communication tool you have is conversation and accountability conversations are among the most useful.