Accountability is NOT a Four-Letter Word
Another Friday afternoon following an amazing week of corporate strategy meetings, production discussions, and collaborating with peers. On the flight home, I follow my regular routine of consuming some personal development content. This week I am deep into the latest gem from author, Simon Sinek, “The Infinite Game”. This book is extremely well written, and there are so many opportunities to apply “Infinite” vs “Finite” thinking in my day to day. I have taken several pages of notes and I will surely roll these up into action items for my team, my partners, and myself. However, my mind keeps wondering to another topic. Accountability.
As a child growing up, I was taught accountability. Whether being held accountable for cleaning my room, doing chores, or even adhering to strict time limits on the phone with my significant other, I understood accountability. As I entered the military, I was held accountable for actions, or lack of actions, both for myself and for my team, squad, and platoon. Regardless of profession, title, or tenure, accountability is a part of my core values that has stuck with me throughout life.
Obviously, my upbringing instilled accountability in me. The military was a continuation of my upbringing and further challenged me to not only hold myself accountable but to hold others accountable as well. What does this have to do with you? Absolutely nothing!
As a leader in corporate America, applying the same tactics which were used in our household or in Marine Corps Boot Camp is not an option. As leaders, we must discover ways to hold people accountable and this is truly a skill. A skill that did not come easy to me. I learned the hard way after making several mistakes (an entire book). The great thing is, that over time, it is something that I have been able to develop, and I work diligently to help others hone this skill. Here are five keys to remember when holding your teams accountable.
1. Care
The first step is that you must care about your team or the team member you are holding accountable. You must not only care, but you must ensure that the team member knows you care. Coach Dabo Sweeney from the University of Clemson football team speaks to this in his podcast interview with Molly Fletcher on the Gamechangers podcast. “You gotta love them”! “They are good bamboo and you need to keep watering it”. The truth is that you need to build trust, and the trust comes when the team knows you truly care.
2. Be Specific
Next, we need to ensure that we are specific about our expectations. If a team is not successful, the first thing the leader should do is look inward. Did we set specific expectations, and did we communicate them clearly? Furthermore, did we provide the necessary tools and support for the team to be successful? Self-accountability and ownership come with the territory of being a leader.
3. Act Quickly
When holding teams accountable, we must always act quickly. Letting behaviors or lack of results continue over time will cause us to store up frustration. This frustration will eventually erupt like a volcano and will result in an emotional confrontation that will not be received well and will not achieve the desired result. Just like in a relationship, little things will build up over time and eventually they will manifest themselves in a way that is extremely unhealthy.
4. Be Consistent
As a leader, we will need to ensure that we are consistent. We cannot make excuses or show favoritism when holding teams accountable. Team members will zero in on this quickly and this will not only cause disruption in the team, it will also cost you one of the most expensive and hard-earned values there is… trust.
5. Follow Up
Lastly, it is extremely important to follow up. You establish credibility and trust when you follow up. Circle back to provide support, additional coaching, or to celebrate if the desired outcome was achieved. Following up is where you can determine if the method of coaching you used to hold the team or team member accountable was successful and it reinforces the fact that you are bought in and that you care. Some of the best opportunities present themselves during the follow up phase.
This is not the end-all be-all, but these are principles that I have learned through several “black-eyes”. As a leader, one of the most basic things we do on a regular basis is hold people accountable. Add these tools to your toolbox and watch your team grow to new levels through the implementation of accountability.