"My team knows what to do, so why aren't they doing it?"
If this resonates with you, it might be time to examine your organization's cultural commitment to accountability at every level – individual, team, and leadership.
Accountability is more than just a personal quality; it's a critical factor in empowering teams and achieving better results faster. However, building a culture of accountability is a layered process that requires clear expectations, consistent communication, commitment, feedback loops, and more.
A culture of accountability fosters an environment where everyone takes ownership of their actions and results. When people truly own their responsibilities, behaviors, and outcomes, it unlocks higher performance at both the individual and team levels.
Of course, this is layered. Building a culture of accountability requires clear expectations, consistent communication, commitment, feedback loops and more. Some common challenges include:
1. Balancing Accountability with Empathy: Leaders often struggle to strike the right balance between holding people accountable and showing empathy.
2. Lack of Clear Goals and Expectations: When team and individual goals are unclear or constantly shifting, employees become confused about what they are responsible for, making it virtually impossible to hold them accountable.
3. Lack of Courageous Conversations: A reluctance to have open and honest conversations builds a culture of avoidance.
4. Mindset Shift Required: Leaders need to believe that creating an environment that fosters self-discipline and commitment is a better alternative to mandating compliance. Team members need to believe that the environment is safe enough to be accountable.
5. Consistency: Establishing a culture of accountability is a long-term process that requires consistency and reinforcement at every level of the organization.
47% of workers received feedback from their manager "a few times or less" in the past year, and only 26% of employees strongly agree that the feedback they receive helps them do their work better. - Gallup 5 Ways to Promote Accountability
Building a culture of accountability is not an overnight process, but it’s worth the effort.
When people truly own their responsibilities, behaviors and results, it unlocks higher performance at the individual and team levels.
If you want to accelerate performance and drive better business results, you’ll need a culture of accountability.
We work with leaders and teams on making this concept your reality through keynotes, workshops and conferences. If you want to drive sustainable success, let’s connect.
Comments