Embracing Accountability

I can't tell you how many companies I have worked with have accountability on their values statement yet fail to embed feedback in their culture. Accountability has become a buzzword—so overused and with so many different interpretations that it has lost much of its meaning. In the context of teamwork, however, accountability is the willingness of team members to call their peers on performance or behaviours that might hurt the team. 

What I typically see is that when a team member has an issue with a peer, they escalate it to the leader. The leader then has to investigate, intervene, then go back to the other team member and give an update. It is time consuming, breaks trust and feels like tale-telling. No-one likes to be reported to the headmaster.

In high performing teams, peers and colleagues hold each other accountable for doing what they say they are going to do and behaving in a way that upholds team values and culture. People don't like to let others down, and peer to peer "pressure" is an incredible motivator.

Giving feedback can often be as uncomfortable as conflict. The fear is the same, the relationship might break and feelings might be hurt, so we avoid it. The usual source of dysfunction in this area is the unwillingness of team members to feel that discomfort that always comes when we call a peer on his or her behaviour. Your avoidance approach might be to think, "it's not my job to call her out on her work", or "it's not that much of an issue, I won't mention it", or "I will escalate it for someone else to deal with".  

Now, every leader I know finds it far easier to give feedback when it is focused on a result. It becomes evidence based and logical. It gets more tricky when it is about a behavioural quality.  However, behaviours always precede results. So the leader needs to get comfortable with the discomfort of having conversations about behavioural issues, thus role modelling it for the rest of the team. 

Because it is uncomfortable, the general tendency to avoid difficult conversations all together, until it impacts results. Why wait? Why allow performance to suffer when you can take proactive action. If you are allowing this to happen, you are choosing comfort over results. There is more to come on this topic in the "Courageous conversations" course.  

High performing teams accept the discomfort in pursuit of excellence, opting instead to “enter the danger” with one another. It takes courage, and trust, but it is worth it.

What does it look like when team members...

DON’T call out poor performance? 

• Team members lack confidence and are paranoid about what others may not be saying. 
• People feel a sense of unfairness when others perform at a subpar level. 
• Passive-aggressive approaches start to thrive.  
  
  

DO call out poor performance?  

• People know what others think so they don’t have to waste time and energy wondering. 
• Team members own their shortcomings and accept suggestions. 
• There is an increased sense of being part of a team.
  
  

What does it look like when team members...

DON’T apply peer pressure? 

• Outside management or motivation may be needed to reach set goals. 
• People aren’t concerned with how their behaviour affects their team members. 
• Resentment builds.  
  
  

DO apply peer pressure?  

• Team members feel trusted and respected by their peers. 
• There is an extra prompt to get work done on time. 
• People feel a responsibility to get things done right. 
  
  

What does it look like when team members...

DON’T challenge one another? 

• There is limited understanding and interest in what other team members are doing. 
• There are misconceptions among team members, causing an overall sense of disjointedness. 
• People feel comfortable doing subpar work, knowing they won’t be confronted. 
  
  

DO challenge one another?  

• People have a better understanding and appreciation for one another’s roles. 
• People continually check in with one another, ensuring they’re on the same page. 
• Better ideas emerge. 
  
  

What does it look like when team members...

DON’T question one another? 

• Mistakes are made. 
• Team members aren’t clear about one another’s roles and responsibilities, leading to misunderstandings. 
• Team members fear stepping on one another’s toes. 
  
  

DO question one another?  

• Team members understand how everything fits together. 
• People are prepared to answer inquiries. 
• Team members are able to adjust their behaviour accordingly. 
  
  

You can see that accountability makes sense. There is no accountability without feedback. Take a look at the feedback courses for models and tools. In this course we will focus on the behaviours and results of accountability.