The Accountability Process - Six Signs of an Accountability Deficiency

"An undefined problem has an indefinite number of solutions." - Robert A. Humphrey

The word accountability is often over-used, yet as a concept it is widely underutilized. As business leaders, we understand the importance of creating a culture of accountability. We preach it to our teams, stress that they hold themselves and others accountable, and exit these conversations feeling good. But we are then stunned when results evade us. Finger-pointing starts and we return to the table to, once again, preach accountability.

At some point, successful leaders find a way to break from this cycle and, as the quote above implies, identify a specific, tangible problem. Telling a team that they are "not achieving results" is both obvious and lacks the specificity to be constructive. A team needs to be told how they are not achieving results, and what impact this has on the rest of the group and the organization.

1. Missed Deadlines. Perhaps the most obvious signal that accountability is not a part of a culture is when team members miss deadlines. For example, a team member commits to having a project done by Wednesday and submits it the following Friday; an employee promises to contact a customer by close of business, but on the way out the door mentions that "something came up" and she will contact the customer tomorrow.

Impact: When this occurs and there are no consequences, it sends a clear signal that deadlines are arbitrary and lack importance. Other employees will realize that both self-imposed and boss-imposed deadlines can be disregarded.

2. Repeat Mistakes. Unless a team member is not capable of performing a task correctly, repeat mistakes can provide insight into priorities. Specifically, the implicit message the team member is sending is that " I am not motivated to complete this task properly".

Impact: This is a dangerous message to condone, and especially damaging when it originates from the leader. Everyone makes mistakes. However, repeat mistakes suggest that nothing needs to be learned from the original mistake, that professional development and self improvement is not valued, and that mediocrity is okay!

3. Variable Workloads. The workload for all team members will naturally vary, dictated by factors such as the time of year, customer demand, and product life cycle. However, a deeper issue is likely present when multiple individuals in the same position have vastly different workloads. Chances are good that a leader is funneling the important work to one or two individuals, and passing along assignments that are not mission-critical to other employees.

Impact: Those who get more work passed their way will resent both the leader for the imbalanced workload, and the team members who consistently leave early because they genuinely have nothing to do.

4. Variable Quality Output. Related to variable workloads, the quality of work that some employees present is adequate, but there is significant room for improvement. Their work pales in comparison to the quality that others consistently demonstrate.

Impact: In an effort to avoid conflict, a leader either improves the quality him/herself, or assigns another employee to improve the final product. This enables the "poor performers" to maintain their barely passable standards, while leaders miss opportunities to provide valuable feedback that can slowly but surely increase standards and improve performance.

5. Performers vs. Non-performers: Related to the symptom of variable workloads and variable quality output, the mere presence of "performers" and "non-performers" is a telltale sign that it is okay to not perform.

Impact: The presence of these two groups can wreak havoc on team dynamics, as each group blames the other for their current work conditions. For example non-performers will blame performers for getting all of the good assignments, while performers will resent the minimal workload of the non-performers. Chances are good that everybody is angry with the leader for allowing these two factions to develop.

6. Anxiety and Anger. Many leaders feel a great deal of anger and anxiety when they learn a deadline has been missed or an assignment has been botched. The anger is usually directed towards the employee, while anxiety grows because the leader anticipates an ugly confrontation.

Impact: Some leaders proceed (in anger) to confront, which often exacerbates an already bad situation. Others remain silent and convince themselves it would be easier to simply fix the mistake on their own, adding to an already heavy workload and damaging the trust that is necessary for a high-performing team. Both choices lead to an increase in anxiety and anger.

The existence of any one or combination of the above symptoms can be detrimental to a team and to the larger organization. Identifying the specific issue is the first step. Additionally, relaying the specific issue and its natural consequences will likely result in one of two productive outcomes: it may alleviate the problem through increasing team members' awareness of the natural consequences of their actions, or it can provide a starting point for re-establishing explicit expectations along with the consequences of not meeting those expectations. Either way, through identifying and addressing the problems that were previously ignored, the leader helps the team to advance.