One of the biggest influences on a team, an organization’s, or an individual’s ability to achieve results is the level of accountability they show—that willingness to take ownership for the outcome and do what needs to be done to succeed.
Too often, you see teams with great aptitude fail because of a lack of the right attitude, so as leaders, we must take time to address this as it can be the differentiator between success and failure.
Here are three tips to ensure that your teams have the necessary levels of accountability to be successful and deliver the desired results.
The last thing anyone wants is to give something their best shot, go the extra mile, but fail to make it, and then be criticized for the failing. Failing is part of the journey to success, and if people feel safe, they are more likely to take ownership and commit to an objective.
On the other hand, an environment that looks to blame, be critical or punish people for failure will kill accountability stone-dead. No one will be committed or show a willingness to go the extra mile if they feel they will be the scapegoat or called out.
The more safe and secure people feel, the more willing they will be to take accountability.
The probability of success has a tremendous influence on the level of accountability teams will take. Imagine if you knew you would fail before you even started. How committed would you be? How much ownership for the outcome would you take?
That’s right, none, and quite rightly so.
As leaders, it is our job to give our teams the tools they need to succeed and ensure they know how they can achieve success. The more confident they are of success, the more ownership they will take and the more accountability they will show.
Also, if teams think they will fail, they say I told you say so and become spectators to a failure when things start to go bad.
A team that thinks they will succeed will go into solution mode when things start to wobble because they believe they can overcome these setbacks.
Give your teams the tools to be successful, build their confidence and watch their accountability soar.
Leadership defines culture, and if you want people to be accountable, you need to show them what that looks like through your actions. Be the role model for the behaviors that you want them to embody.
If you lack accountability yourself, then why should your teams be willing to do what you will not.
The more accountability you show, the more accountability they will show. It is as simple as that.
If you follow these three simple tips, they will help you create teams that embody accountability and ownership, which will profoundly impact their levels of performance and results.
If you want to learn more about how to go from being a good manager to a great leader, click the link to schedule a time, and let’s see how I can help.
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