The Accountability Key

“Why won’t my team take responsibility for anything!” is often the cry from leaders. Sometimes stopping to explore the “Why?” question is the key to reversing current behaviour. Perhaps we need to start with assessing our own behaviour first! After all, it is a known fact that many employees will “boss watch”.

Answering the following questions honestly will help to evaluate how effective you are in handing over responsibility, which will then make someone else fully accountable.

Do you always:

Clarify who is the overall “owner” for each goal or project?

Establish AND communicate clear “by when” dates for each project or goal?

Make sure that people understand the report back mechanisms they are required to follow to ensure thorough feedback and timing of these?

Give the team a clear indication of what you are personally responsible for within the goal they are asked to achieve?

Offer regular feedback on the status of the project to the entire team, including the part where you have taken personal ownership?

Inform the team when you are personally not meeting expectations for achieving the agreed goal?

Ensure that you are allowing others the time and space to achieve their part of the goal in their preferred way?

Divide goals and projects fairly?

Make certain that under performance is addressed in an appropriate manner and that the project “owner” is always encouraged to share their ideas for remedy?

Take responsibility to ensure that minutes of progress meetings are made available to the entire team throughout the process?

Hold a project conclusion session to asses what happened, what worked, what did not work and why, and to agree what will be done differently next time?

Sometimes it is useful to review what WE are doing as a positive attempt to change what occurs – it is part of the responsibility and accountability that we have as leaders to support those around us to become successful!

What are you doing to encourage team members to become responsible and accountable?