“Leaders are accountable for accountability.” Dan Rockwell

As a business founder, CEO, or leader, you come across various buzzwords and probably use them. In 2021, some buzzwords are unprecedented, bandwidth, deep dive and digital transformation. All these words are descriptive in nature and are used in conversation to reveal future focus or forward thinking.

I find that buzzwords can be impactful at certain times, but they tend to come and go whereas strong business terms span across decades. For anyone in a leadership position, accountability is an important term to use, understand, and practice for the long haul.

Interpreting Accountability

It is close to impossible to lead others if you do not expect them to be accountable. Accountability means that your workers understand how to measure their performance and are also answerable for what they do. Leaders require accountability from their teams to deliver results. The key to successfully leading others and ensuring that they meet your expectations for accountability is to consider their point of view.

As a leader, you may define and measure accountability in the following ways: –

1.       What can be achieved – Ensuring workers are seeking to achieve a goal.

2.      What can the worker contribute – Defining time and effort necessary to get the work done.

3.      How can I ensure they exceed expectations – Encouraging the team to go above and beyond minimum requirements.

How does the worker define accountability? The worker connects their psychological feelings with ownership of the work that they are doing. For the employee, accountability may include the following questions: –

–          Do I have an obligation to get this done? – Understanding the consequences of not completing the task.

–          Is my contribution valued? – Does my leader notice and appreciate the work that I am doing?

–          What do I gain by being accountable? – Determining if there is some reward for getting the job done.

When leading others, ensure that your requirement of them aligns with their sense of purpose. This entails looking beyond the task and understanding the mindset of the worker. Furthermore, the goals and milestones that you give workers need to be easy to track and measure. With this in mind, it becomes easier to avoid overloading workers. So often, accountability can be a challenge when workers feel like they are spread too thin and are unable to meet expectations.

Therefore, consider the ability of the workers and make them accountable for tasks that they can accomplish. This will ensure that you keep motivation for tasks at a high level to get the results you require.

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