Raising Accountability
How keeping people accountable is different from breeding an accountability culture
I feel strongly that leaders are required to balance two key responsibilities: Performance and Care. It is a precarious balance to find and maintain as one can outweigh the other, or they can feel like adversaries resulting in confusion, mixed messaging, and possible micro-management. None of these set a good base for accountability and harmonious working relationships.
With the uncertainty of remote working, the richness of our daily communication has been lost. We can refer to the Allen Curve as to why. This tells us that once people sit more than 8 meters away from each other their teamwork reduces. So, when we are working from home (wfh), the collaboration and effective team play plummets.
Think about it. How many half conversations and tiny cues do you pick up and learn-from when you are working amongst your colleagues? It is constant and these small bits of communication add up to a lot of connection, cohesion, and alignment. When they are lost completely, a leader has even more to contend with to ensure everyone is working diligently, collaboratively, and responsibly.
Hence, there is an Accountability Cascade starting with Lowered Visibility causing a reduction in Productivity. Then there is a Lowered Motivation as people wfh and are pulled in sorts of directions with distractions and family pressures. Connection with work is slashed. Finally, there is Lowered Trust felt throughout the team. Everyday team mates are not getting back to each other on time, they are not attending meetings, they are not hitting deadlines (mostly for good reason) which underpins a sense of uncertainty. Leaders can be forgiven for wondering if their team are working as they should be, or if they care as much as they should, or if their excuses are legitimate.
It’s a tough gig. And in the face of such a cascade fear takes over. Especially, when business is plummeting, or at the very least, stagnating. And, two reactions tend to occur. We either turn into the scared little kitten and become Passive. We go quiet and we hope that the team will pull through. We hope everyone will be happy and we hope that no one will quit. Or, we become the roaring tiger. Aggressive in our approach using pre-emptive strikes, being overbearing, and telling rather than asking. There is a power struggle that forms between a manager and a team member. One aggressive and one passive. Sometimes this oscillates from one exchange to another. Either way, this is not accountability. It is exhaustion. And it is the road to Extinction.
The aim of the game is to set up Assertive relationships. Where everyone is heard and everyone is questioned. Equally. And invalid opinions and excuses are called out. This is now a platform of Accountability. No matter your title or age or how long you’ve been with the business – there is a framework of mutual accountability.
Some tactical ways to increase accountability in your teams are:
Be Clean. Raise the specific concern or question you have. And, intentionally set up the Systematic, Consistent, and Constant Communication that will be engaged with to raise accountability. Be curious in your approach and propose a new way of working to be agreed upon rather than simply announcing or demanding a new way.
Be Clear. Take the opportunity to get everyone on the same page. We are all so busy, but why…? What are we are trying to achieve? What is the bigger picture? Are our goals and tasks aligned with this? Are we aligned with each other? And, does it all make sense or are we working on the wrong stuff? This is a great way to make sure everyone’s lane is defined, and people are working full-steam-ahead without doubts or underlying concerns.
Be of Service. Be the person that makes others better by pointing out errors. Know that this is for their benefit. Over-communicate this. And, ask for it in return. By setting the tone in this way, a lot of the assumptions, politics, and egotistic manoeuvring can be dispensed with. Trust, connection, and cohesion are promoted. And, practicing this daily will enhance the workplace culture.
Accountability has nothing to do with keeping people accountable. It is more a game of acknowledging the obstacles we have in place, the routines we need to put in place, and then working beyond our titles and job descriptions.
Further details of these concepts are in the webinar recording. And, if you would like to thrash out how you can increase Accountability in your own scenario, then you can schedule a time to talk with me here.
