Accountability works when it's fair and predictable, not punitive. Leaders often wait too long to address problems or confront aggressively, both mistakes. Real accountability is a reminder of shared commitments, given early and clearly, so people understand the impact of their actions.
Accountability becomes very fair, very predictable, and productive when those goals become shared and when those expectations become mutual. So once everybody understands them and they're all on board, then the accountability then just becomes you reminding them of what it is they signed up for. It never ceased to amaze me how many of them will avoid or even abuse accountability. Until they really understand what it is and how it benefits them and how it is a gift to their people, do they actually embrace it and recognize that accountability basically just has a bad rap and it has really bad branding surrounding it. Accountability, often when someone hears that word, they think punishment, they think confrontation and conflict and awkward conversations, but nothing's further than from the truth. Accountability is not a consequence. Accountability is simply a system of reminding someone of what they committed to. And here's what leaders get wrong when it comes to accountability. They wait too long. They hope it fixes itself, or they come in hot and aggressive, and that just creates more hostility, more confrontation, more conflict. And it's really unfair to the team member or team members. If you have an issue with someone, you need to be addressing it immediately. If they're underperforming and/or creating a negative impact to the team, you need to be addressing it as it's happening. Those things can be corrected. However, the individual needs to know the impact that they're creating, and you not holding them accountable is not being nice or kind. It's just going to make a hard situation even more difficult or more critical.
From Stuck to Leading, Episode 2 — Meet the 5 Inner Fears Destroying Your Leadership
