The Gifts of Accountability
This is the second article in a three-part series. To read the first part, Click Here.
This is the third article in a three-part series. To read the first part, click here.
Accountability feels like something where you’re the kind of person who is good at it (a hard-ass who doesn’t care if you hurt people’s feelings), or the kind of person who is terrible at it (a marshmallow who cares too much about people’s feelings), and there’s nothing you can do about it.
I’m obviously exaggerating a bit, but if you consider yourself the “nice person” type, I bet that description doesn’t feel all that far off base…
Many caring leaders fall victim to what I call “the nice trap” — here’s how it works: you don’t want to upset people, so you avoid communicating any feedback that feels harsh. Maybe you even jump in to help — fix their mistakes, take on a project at the 11th hour so they don’t blow a deadline, or reassign the work they don’t do well.
In isolated examples, all these actions can be supportive. But if this level of assistance is the only tool in your leadership toolkit, you are failing your followers.
This does not mean you have to become some unfeeling meanie in order to effectively hold people accountable. I promise. In fact, the opposite is true — creating accountability is a way of showing that you care.
Which is not to say it’s easy. Like most meaningful gifts, there is a cost to the giver. But for those of us who care deeply about creating a fair workplace where people can succeed, that cost is one we must be willing to bear.
In the first two articles of this series, I covered how to address the specifics of creating the firm footing of clear standards and a reward system that leads your team to success. Today I want to talk about the payoff of consistently implementing those first two steps: a culture of accountability.
Let’s turn the tables for a moment and explore what it feels like to work in an environment that does have a culture of accountability vs one that doesn’t.
In a low-accountability company:
You’re surprised when you receive constructive feedback, and receiving it feels like “getting in trouble.”
It’s unclear how to grow and advance — only “in-crowd” people get promoted.
Taking risks of any kind feels unsafe.
You don’t know who to ask for help, or maybe even what help you need.
You rarely receive positive feedback, and when you do it’s not particularly helpful.
Conversely, in a high-accountability company:
You feel supported by both your supervisor and your team, and it’s easy to get help when you need it.
You understand what is expected of you and know what steps to take to grow and advance.
You regularly receive clear feedback on your work.
Constructive feedback does not feel like a personal attack.
You feel confident in taking productive risks because you know what is in- and out-of-bounds.
When we look at the impact of a culture of accountability, the benefit is strikingly clear: Which of these companies do you think is more successful? Which has higher employee engagement, which leads to lower turnover, higher profitability, and higher customer satisfaction? Which do you want to work for?
If a culture of accountability is so great, then why is it so hard to implement? Here are 3 common reasons leaders fall short of creating the positive, productive culture they want:
Lack of Possibility Model: if you struggle to implement accountability practices, I’ll wager you probably don’t have a ton of experience working in a high-accountability environment. When we lack experience with what we’re trying to build, we’re bound to make mistakes and misconstrue every wrong turn or speedbump as a roadblock.
Cultural Conditioning: Let’s face it — many of us conditioned female by the world were taught to prioritize being polite over being candid. Learning to deliver kind and constructive feedback is a skill that takes practice and coaching to do well.
Discomfort with Emotion: Everyone has a different comfort level when it comes to expressing emotions — some of us cry at the drop of a hat, while others will do almost anything to avoid a tearful encounter. Either way, this is an area where you’ll have to stretch yourself if you want to support your team.
The good news: These obstacles are all things you can overcome with practice (and maybe help from a mentor or coach) following the steps I outlined in the first two articles.
Now that you have the tools and know the benefits of giving the gifts of accountability to your team, you’re ready to put it all into action! Remember to take your time, set reasonable, achievable goals for yourself, and to be patient with yourself as you learn these new skills. And if you need support, please reach out!