Leader's accountability and team's accountability

As Agile Coach, I once worked with a team where the atmosphere was great. People talked to each other, there were always a lot of humorous elements during meetings, and the Product Owner was incredibly engaged - in contact with both the team and directly with customers. However, for some reason, in this great atmosphere, the team was reluctant to take accountability for the decions the made. This manifested itself in the fact that they either went to the Product Owner for permission, or, in the case of uncertainty about how to do something, they asked the most experienced developer, who quickly became the informal technical leader. He was the one who spoke the most during meetings, expressed doubts and opinions about the actions taken.

Making decisions can seem like a big accountability. Especially when no one in the team has done it before, because, for example, the manager, Product Owner, or another leader took it upon themselves. And suddenly it turns out that there is no desire to take responsibility.

Leader's accountability and its impact on the team

Leader's raccountability is a topic full of nuances. It is not only a matter of project management, but also of inspiring and leading the team in a way that strengthens their commitment and sense of agency. On the one hand, an accountable leader must be a support that can be turned to in difficult times, but on the other hand, they should not take away people's space to act independently. It is great to recognize when the team needs their support and when it is necessary to withdraw enough to give team members the opportunity to take the initiative and take responsibility for the results of their work. Such an attitude builds a healthy culture of cooperation and mutual trust, which promotes the development of both the team and the entire organization.

Consequences of taking accountability

When a leader decides to take full accountability, it brings both short-term benefits and long-term consequences. On the one hand, the team can feel safe knowing that someone is making decisions for them, which reduces stress levels. However, over time, such an attitude contributes to a decrease in motivation and self-esteem of team members who feel that they have no influence on what is happening around them. Lack of independence also leads to the creation of the so-called the effect of micromanagement, where people wait for the leader's decisions, instead of solving problems and taking the initiative themselves.

How to encourage the team to make decisions independently

To effectively encourage the team to make decisions independently, it is worth implementing a few simple actions:

• Establish clear decision-making boundaries that clearly indicate what matters the team can decide without consultation.
• Encourage every, even the smallest initiative of team members, helping to gradually build their self-confidence. You can do this through regular feedback sessions.
• Instead of directly answering all the team's questions, you can use open-ended questions that will allow the team to come to the answer on their own - thanks to which the skills of analysis and independent decision-making develop, and the team becomes more autonomous and motivated to act.

Above all, however, answer the questions:

• What makes my team not want to take the initiative?
• What happens when they make a mistake?
• How do you feel when you do not have control over every stage of execution?

Only knowing the causes of the problem can help you choose the most promising actions aimed at the right solution.

And what happened to my team?

The informal technical leader was aware of the impact he had on the team. We agreed that he would try to talk less during meetings to give others space. In addition, he deliberately did not show up at several key meetings to make the team feel that they could handle it and everyone could make decisions on their own. The Product Owner, on the other hand, defined what was “critical” for him - only in such cases was consultation required.