For companies of all sizes, a strong sense of accountability can play a big factor in building a healthy, engaged culture. When employees feel that others are held accountable for their actions, they are more motivated by the sense of equity, fairness and justice, knowing that performance matters.
Accountability means answering or accounting for your actions and results. It is something every leader wants more of from his or her team. Accountability is like rain—everyone knows they need it, but no one wants to get wet. It’s easy to talk about how “they” need to be more accountable, but it can be uncomfortable when we apply it to ourselves. When is the last time you heard someone say, “I really need to be more accountable for my results?” It doesn’t happen very often. Yet we get more accountability from our teams by being accountable to them. It’s a two-way street.
Beyond more engaged employees, accountability means the organisation runs better because decisions get made, actions are taken, and there is clear ownership for success and failure all the way to the top. But establishing accountability isn’t easy to master – it takes a lot of courage, discipline and modesty to admit to failure, accept the blame, acknowledge mistakes, and deal with poor performance..
So…What is accountability?
Let’s be clear, you can’t create accountability. Accountability is a feeling inside a person. You are no more able to make an employee accountable than to make them engaged, happy, productive, etc. But just as you can do things that make it more likely an employee will be engaged or productive, you can do a lot to increase the likelihood that your employees will feel accountable. Your role as a manager is to put in place the things that promote a sense of accountability and to solve some of the common problems that dilute accountability.
Problem #1: Employees don’t feel accountable because they don’t know what’s expected of them.
Solution #1: Set Clear Expectations
When you want someone to be accountable, use clear and direct language. “Hey, I’m putting you in charge of planning this strategic initiative. I expect you to complete all aspects of this template and to pull in the people you need to ensure it’s done well. Unless I hear otherwise, I will assume everything is on track and to the timetable I have set you.”
Problem #2: Shared accountability diffuses responsibility.
Solution #2: Differentiate Roles
If two or more people share accountability for an outcome, there’s room for blame and excuses. To rectify that, be specific about what you expect of each.
Problem #3: Employees might have different standards than you do. They think they’ve accomplished the task when you think it’s incomplete or insufficient.
Solution #3: Define Success
You need to create a shared sense of what good looks like. “I want this to be more than just the ideas on the top of your head. Your business case needs to include a competitive analysis and at least preliminary numbers on project costs and Return on Investment. Is there anything you’d like to clarify about expectations before you start?”
Problem #4: The person doesn’t know (or is covering up) that they are getting behind or off track. By the time anyone notices, it’s too late.
Solution #4: Pay Attention and Provide Ongoing Feedback
The best way to increase an employee’s sense of accountability is to let them know you’re paying attention. That doesn’t mean micro-managing (which reduces accountability). It just means noticing what they’re doing and checking in periodically. “How is the project scoping coming along? Anything you’re worried about? It’s really important that we give the executives the information to make a good decision on this.”
Problem #5: Poor outcomes are ignored, especially if people made a good effort.
Solution #5: Follow Through with Consequences
If people don’t see consequences when they fail to deliver, they won’t feel much accountability in the future. The best consequence is feedback. It’s important to create discomfort when goals aren’t met. “Let’s debrief on the business case you prepared. The information was well done and the Executive Team had a really fruitful discussion. Unfortunately, your plan only considered one path and didn’t give us optional scenarios. What was your thought process in choosing what to include?”
In a majority of cases, this is all that will be required. Transparency and candour about the person’s performance relative to the goals will create just the right amount of heat to motivate the person.
If this isn’t the first time the person has failed to deliver or if their performance was especially problematic, you might need additional consequences. “I will be asking someone else to scope out the next initiative,” or “Next time, I will need you to meet with me more regularly so I can coach you more closely.”
Put simply, you just want employees to have a very clear view of what you expect and a set of uncomfortable (but not painful) consequences if they don’t deliver.
However, one of the main issues we, at IMentor, encounter on entering an underperforming company for an initial scoping is the lack of understanding that there is no accountability present. There is a clear misunderstanding that because an organisation may well discuss the imp[ortance of accountabilities, this does not make accountability part of their culture! So let’s have a look at the clearest indicators we experience in an organisation devoid of accountability…
1. Deafening silence around missed deadlines/goals. All senior leaders have commitments to their people, customers, and stakeholders. When they try to hide their misses, it sends a signal to others that deadlines and goals really don’t matter.
2. Buck-passing and scapegoating. When things go wrong or not according to plan, as they sometimes do, senior leaders who avoid taking responsibility, either by default or on purpose, teach others that the best way to face failure is to find someone to blame. This will empower the less-scrupulous of staff to proactively find a scapegoat before taking on a challenge, especially if that’s how their bosses do it.
3. Unrestricted invisibility. Business is tough and there are realities and decisions that many just don’t want to face. There are many examples of leaders who infamously go dark, avoid responding to emails, and don’t get involved when there is something they don’t really want to deal with. But being invisible is not the crime; it’s when a senior leader is allowed to keep up this behavior without repercussion, constantly going “off grid” when an issue arises without the matter being addressed. Employees need answers, support and leadership, and when they start to consider invisibility the norm, they are often left in an environment where they feel vulnerable and helpless.
4. Inattention to details. Some leaders may operate better at a strategic level, however, those very same leaders may also use their strategic focus as an excuse for avoiding paying attention to matters for which they are responsible. Being an excellent delegator may be a sign of someone who is leader-like, but being unaware of what is going on is failed leadership and sets a negative tone for others.
5. Political talent management. Accountability takes a real hit when talent decisions are made for the wrong reasons, such as when senior leaders are promoted without any record of accomplishment or when weak leaders retain their power. Perceptive employees will soon realise that it takes more than just hard work to get ahead.
