Cocktails with Carl
Fostering a Culture of Accountability
What comes to mind when you hear the word “accountability”? It can be quite intimidating depending on who is using the word and why. Most of us think of an instance when an authority figure (teacher, coach, boss, parent, etc.) criticized us in some way when we didn’t live up to expectations. Because of those memories, we often react to that word with fear and nervousness. It shouldn’t be this way.
I recently had this experience with my oldest daughter. She’s on scholarship to play college golf at the division 1 level. She’s a talented player but she’s also a freshman, and the leap from high school to division 1 golf is significant. With the increased level of competition comes expectations and, whether we like it or not, pressure.
Her season had started wonderfully and her confidence was building. Then she had a setback which I happened to witness firsthand. At the conclusion of a very poor performance she was standing next to me, nervously quiet. “What’s on your mind?”, I asked her. “I’m worried about coach”, she said. “I don’t think he’s gonna be happy about my play”. “And the team, I feel like I’ve let them down.”
It may sound strange, but these responses were music to my ears. Instead of focusing inward, she first thought about her coach and teammates and how she was accountable to them. There would be plenty of time to personally reflect on her round later on. In that moment, her priorities were in the right place.
Now I had the chance to offer some advice and calm her nerves. “Your coach and team will understand”, I said. “Sure, they may be disappointed, but they’ll encourage you instead of tear you down. Meanwhile, your job is to own your performance, avoid excuses, and communicate to them that you will work harder than ever to prevent this from happening again.”
She understood and agreed. And, at the end of the day, everyone reacted how I predicted they would. I knew she had a supportive coach and great teammates. Ultimately, it was a learning experience for a young player and an opportunity for the team to build more trust in one another. Win/Win.
As the owner of a business and leader of a team, this experience reminded me of the importance of positive accountability. I’ve seen and personally worked for leaders that use accountability the wrong way, instilling fear in their employees. This results in a tentativeness, paralyzing the team from moving forward along with bringing bad energy into the office.
At June Co., accountability is one of our published core values. We define it as such, “An environment that promotes transparency and responsibility for results.” In a nutshell, what we are looking for is 100% honesty in our communication and complete ownership of our decisions. It sounds easy enough but getting the entire team to philosophically buy into and live up to this core value is quite difficult.
As leaders, in order to promote a culture of accountability we need to communicate the expectation and then set the example for everyone to follow. Below are a few key things to focus on when working towards this goal.
Set a clear strategy and specific goals
In order for the team to feel confident in their communication and decision making, they need to understand exactly what they are working towards. Vague plans lead to uncertainty which ultimately leads to excuse making. Communicate an annual strategic plan with your team complete with specific goals that can be broken down into smaller periods of time. Schedule weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings to discuss progress and measure results.
Empower the team to execute
A good leader doesn’t need to dictate everything to be effective and most people don’t like working for a micromanager anyway. Once the strategy and goals are set, empower the team to move forward independently with the defined checks and balances in place. If they run into roadblocks, suggest or recommend alternatives and/or provide options, but resist the urge to step in and solve the problem on your own. This builds trust and gives the team a sense of ownership over their responsibilities.
Make room for failure
In a fear based environment mistakes are amplified and team members are shamed resulting in an inability to move forward. After all, who wants to be the employee singled out for failing on a specific project. Since progress almost always involves risk, we need to give our team room to fail. Good leaders understand that failure can be the best teacher. So, let’s remove the fear and give our team the confidence they need to move ahead, embracing the results whether they be good or bad.
Follow your own lead
I’ve mentioned this concept before. It’s gonna be tough to foster a culture of accountability if you are offering up excuses for your own shortcomings. Your team is watching and expecting you to abide by the same principles you are espousing-at the very least. I would take it even one step further by sharing responsibility with your team on any failure within your organization. You’ll find there is no better way to build trust than to support your employees when they are most vulnerable.
By following these ideas the foundation for a culture of accountability will be set. Conversations will get more effective, processes will become more efficient and results will naturally improve. The added bonus is that employee morale will rise too.
There are a couple of last suggestions that I have that should be mentioned. One, it’s important to decipher between a complete lack of effort and “failure”. For the sake of this post, I’m assuming the effort is being made. Two, make sure that any potential new employee understands how important accountability is to your organization’s culture. This needs to be discussed thoroughly during the interviewing process.
Good Luck.
The Azalea
Enjoy Augusta National’s signature cocktail while watching The Master’s.
Ingredients
2 ozs Lemon Juice
2 ozs Pineapple juice
4 ozs Vodka
¼ ozs Grenadine
Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake to incorporate. Pour over a glass with ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.