Over a decade ago, I read a blog post that used the phrase “accountable for each other.” This concept resonated with me and influenced the kind of team relationship I strive for today. Accountability is the pinnacle of teamwork, and every leader’s mindset will guide his or her team’s willingness to admit to their mistakes and work together to overcome them.
Changing “to” to “for” changed everything for me. I have always resisted the phrase that I am accountable to someone. As a leader, I’m accountable for my team’s failures, successes, and professional growth. Fostering accountability, then, is an essential part of building and growing a cohesive, efficient, and most importantly, loyal team.
Here’s how you can encourage your team to hold themselves and one another accountable.
Focus on Helping Over Hierarchy
When we focus on helping over hierarchy, we shift our focus from dictating to encouraging our teams. Leaders and CEOs often see their roles as being to run a tight ship, ensure mistakes aren’t made, and punish the appropriate parties when mistakes do happen.
Instead of taking a punitive approach, encourage your organization’s leaders to work with their team to find solutions that benefit everyone. By being helpful and curious, you can foster an environment where holding oneself accountable becomes second nature and employees feel comfortable owning up to their mistakes.
In his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni emphasizes that when teams continually build trust and mine for productive conflict, they become mutually accountable to move forward with their commitments. In other words, accountability produces cohesive teams that work together to achieve exceptional results.
Ask Questions
As a leader, asking questions shows your team you value their insight and logic. If you don’t necessarily agree with a particular process or result, instead of immediately pointing out what you perceive as a mistake, inquire into how your employee came to his or her conclusion or why he or she chose to approach the task in that particular way.
Most importantly, ask your team, “How can I help?” We sometimes hesitate to ask how we can help for fear that we’ll be held accountable in the event that mistakes are made, but it doesn’t have to be the case. You can provide meaningful dialogue, offer feedback, or remove obstacles for the sake of a smoother, more efficient workplace.
Be Willing to Clarify
In addition to asking questions, you should always be open to answering your team’s questions. Patience and a willingness to help the other person understand a priority or action item leads to a willingness to hold oneself accountable in the event that a mistake is made.
None of us knows all the answers, and we’ll often need to collaboratively revisit our processes and solutions to ultimately get the best outcomes. As such, the ability to share opinions, ask questions, and being willing to clarify your employees’ questions will lead to stronger teamwork and better, faster results.
Hold Yourself Accountable by Example
A leader is still responsible for managing the process and completing his or her own commitments. But by modeling accountability for the rest of the team, you can create a workplace that values growth over discipline.
Over time, both leaders and employees will grow in their abilities to prioritize accountability while simultaneously holding one another mutually accountable.
As a leader, how do you encourage your team to hold themselves and each other accountable? Let me know in the comments!