The building blocks for a culture of accountability

Time and time again I come across leaders who are struggling to hold their teams to account for their collective and individual outcomes.  Some of these leaders have resorted to anger, others to threats and others to ignoring the issue, hoping that by some miracle the objectives will be achieved.    Instead, this article from the Harvard Business Review suggests five key areas to focus on as a leader to be more effective in holding your people to account.  The key areas to focus on are:

  • Clear expectations – ensure everybody is crystal clear on what you are seeking to achieve and how success will be measured.
  • Clear capability – confirm your team has the skills necessary to be successful – if not, help them develop their skills.
  • Clear measurement – establish clarity around how and when progress and success will be measured.
  • Clear feedback – be honest and frequent in your feedback to your team on their progress.
  • Clear consequences – create clear rewards and consequences.

These five key practices are the “building blocks for a culture of accountability” as they ensure your employees are fully informed of what you expect from them. It will also create a culture where accountability is expected and often sought out.  Adopting these practices will ensure leaders are able to clearly measure the success of their people and provide the right leadership actions at the right time – be it skill development, coaching or reassignment.