Three Practical Ways to Develop Your Team’s Accountability

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So many organizations start meetings with huge proclamations about their grand visions for change and transformation.?

The leaders ask, “What are we going to do?” That question is quickly followed by: “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do! We’re going to do this, and we’re going to do this!”

Meh. That royal “we” is pretty meaningless. Who is “we?!”

I want to hear from the leaders. I want to know what they’re going to do. I want to know what they’ll take responsibility for.

Because unless leaders are willing to abandon the royal “we” and commit to personal action, well, that big change just won’t happen. On Tuesday’s livestream , I shared how leaders can drive transformation by creating accountability and responsibility within their organizations.

The difference between accountability and responsibility

Let’s be clear: You need accountability and responsibility to make disruptive change. But they’re two very different things.?

Responsibility is the actions you take. It’s task-oriented and focused on each person’s individual role.?

Accountability is the willingness to accept the outcome of those actions. It’s feeling responsible for the results, and you can clearly see if you met your goal.?

It’s pretty easy to spot an accountability gap in your organization. Are people constantly missing deadlines ? Not doing what they say they’re going to do? Breaking promises? Do you hound people for updates? Yep. Your accountability gap is showing.

So….how do you close that gap? Here are three concrete actions you can take to create a culture of accountability.

1. Model accountability.

The truth is, if there’s an accountability gap, it probably starts with you. (I know!) Are you showing your team what it means to be responsible? Are you outlining the steps you’re taking? Are you holding yourself accountable? What actions are you committing to?

You can’t expect your team to be held responsible and accountable for their actions and outcomes if you don’t hold yourself accountable — and ask your team to hold you accountable.?

So write down your commitment. Say, “Here’s how I’m going to change and transform. Here’s how I’m going to model this transformation. Here’s how I’m going to show up differently.”?

Then, create accountability for yourself by sharing your commitment with your team and ask them to support you in making this change possible.

2. Set expectations.

It’s time to get RACI — responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed, that is!?

One of my favorite tools for setting clear expectations is a RACI chart. It delineates who is responsible, who is accountable for that person, who will be consulted, and who will be informed. I love RACI charts because they provide clarity across an entire project for each individual task.?

SMART goals are great for setting expectations, too, but be careful here. Creating something specific, measurable, attainable, relevant to your overall objective, and time bound is a good strategy —?with one big issue: Most people aren’t specific enough about the timeline. “Next week” doesn’t work! Set the date, the time, and the timezone so there’s no question when the deadline actually is.

It doesn’t matter if you use a RACI chart or SMART goals though —?what matters is that the expectations get written down and shared. That creates accountability. So, during your meetings, designate one person who will capture all the decisions and action items and send the notes to every attendee as soon as the meeting wraps.?

Because unless your expectations are absolutely clear, unless you create responsibility, and accountability, things won’t get done.

3. Create a safe place.

The importance of psychological safety can’t be overstated.?

If you want to create a true sense of accountability, you have to create a safe space where it’s okay to say, “Hey, I dropped the ball.”?

Unfortunately, 80% of people feel like accountability is a punishment. And it’s our job as leaders to shift that mindset and transform accountability into something entirely different.?

People have to believe it’s safe to admit when things aren’t going right or if circumstances have changed. They have to trust that they’ll get support if they ask for help or feedback. The more people come forward and the more people see others doing this, the safer they’ll feel. They’ll know they won’t get punished or judged for taking responsibility for their actions or being accountable for outcomes.?

If your organization’s culture doesn’t currently support this, it’s even more important for you to step up first and accept accountability. Admit that you haven’t been successful and talk about how you’re going to fix things.?

It starts at the top — with leadership and the way you do things and take responsibility — and you can’t demand it. You have to work to create it.

Next week, I’ll be talking about something personal but in a very different way: what it means to have the perfect day. I’m excited to have this fun, meaningful conversation with you, so I hope you’ll join me on Tuesday, October 11 at 9 am PT.?

Your Turn

I’d love to hear how you personally demonstrate personal accountability and responsibility? Tell me in the comments how you practice accountability and responsibility at work and at home!

This newsletter is sponsored by Workplace from Meta, where culture and technology come together to create a more productive future of work. Check out www.workplace.com/futur e to learn more.