Creating A Culture of Accountability

How do you hold people accountable?

This is a question I’ve been asked many times over the years. And, like many of the questions I receive, the answer is complex. Here’s my best shot at a 500-word response.

My assumption is that what you really want is not to hold people accountable as much as you want a culture of accountability. There’s a big difference. If you are successful in creating the right culture, this question largely goes away. YOU no longer hold people accountable, the culture does. A culture is the sum of the habits of its members. If being accountable becomes part of the culture, it will be the behavioral norm.

Here are four specific things you can do to begin creating a culture of accountability:

1. State your intentions. Unapologetically tell people your desire to create a place in which people do what they say they are going to do. You may even want to include this in your core values or team norms. Don’t make people wonder if this is important to you or not.
2. Rebrand accountability. For many reasons, when you and I say accountability, the general connotation is negative. You’ve got to begin changing that. Help people rethink the purpose and intent of accountability. It is not primarily to catch people doing something wrong. It is about helping people do what they want to do. It is about helping people, and the organization, be more successful. The Marines do not see it as negative that they hold each other accountable to high standards. They see this as a badge of honor. You need to establish the same attitude.
3. Use systems and mechanisms. Tools, techniques, systems, and structure can help people be more accountable. One easy way to begin the journey is to simply document your Action Items during your meetings – specifically, who is going to do what, by when? Circulate the Action Items immediately after the meeting; send them out again three days before the next meeting; and finally, review past Action Items during the meeting. This simple mechanism can revolutionize a team and an organization.
4. Model the behavior. If you want people to be accountable, you had better be accountable. I’ve stayed up all night to complete an Action Item before a meeting. Why? Because I told the team I would get it done. I’m guessing members of my team have done the same. I’m thankful to say we’ve created a culture where people do what they say they are going to do.

Creating a culture of accountability is challenging, but worth the effort. Start today and don’t look back. Someday down the road, when accountability is part of the fabric of your team, you’ll be glad you made the journey.