Accountability

If you want to build a strong culture, you need it.

In our culture study of 1,000 Australian managers, a ‘lack of accountability‘ was one of the top five contributors to an unhealthy team culture.

To lead a culture of accountability, it’s worth thinking about:

  1. The reasons why people on a team don’t deliver on an outcome.
  2. How you can lead in a way that sets each team member up for success from the start.

This week let’s look at why it doesn’t happen. Then next week, we can focus on what you can do about it.

Here are eight possible reasons a person on your team may not follow through:

  1. A Purpose Issue – They didn’t know why it mattered.
    They couldn’t connect what they were working on to what they were working towards, and they lost motivation.
  2. A Priority Issue – Too many things mattered.
    They couldn’t get out of the urgent to complete the important.
    *hat tip to the Eisenhower matrix here*
  3. A Personal issue – Something else got in the way.
    They had a challenge outside of work that stole their focus.
  4. A People issue – Someone else got in the way.
    They had a challenge inside of work that hindered their progress.
  5. A Proficiency Issue – Didn’t know how to do it.
    They lacked the knowledge or capability to complete the task.
  6. A Position Issue – Didn’t have the authority to do it.
    They lacked the decision-making power required to execute the task.
  7. A Planning Issue – No system to support success
    They didn’t have the necessary tools or processes to achieve the outcome.
  8. A Payoff Issue – No measures to define success
    They didn’t have a clear goal of what it meant to achieve the outcome.

If you want to finish with accountability, start with understanding.

Here’s a question to think about this week

Reflecting on the last time you failed to deliver on an outcome, what got in the way of your success?