How To Inspire Your Team to Be Accountable
Forget about the stick or the carrot, an inner drive is the most powerful motivational force.
A common problem I encounter with both new and old businesses is how to help employees be accountable for the tasks you give them.
As I’ve said again and again, if you have a problem with accountability in your company: the problem is with you, not with the employee.
There will always be someone who says, “Well… that’s not my job.” Or “I didn’t know I was supposed to do that…” And in every situation you are the one at fault for not communicating effectively, following up regularly, delegating efficiently, or recognizing the problem member and cutting them early.
For myself, I use a three-step process to help encourage (and teach) my team to take accountability for their deliverables.
I use this from the very beginning in job descriptions for any position because once poor habits have already set in, its tough to change them. If you don’t have the luxury of hiring the team you manage, then you can always hit the reset button and implement this process for everyone moving forward.
It’s imperative that every member of the team clearly understands their assignments and responsibilities. I’ve always preferred a work environment where everyone knows EXACTLY what they’re supposed to do as well as those around them, and so that is what I strive to do when building a work environment.
This is also not meant to limit their responsibilities either.
One of my issues with job titles or descriptions is that they can be too constraining, limiting people’s potential. You want to establish a culture where people feel excited to go above and beyond their specific duties to help propel the team forward.
So, before anyone begins any work, I have a sit-down with every member of the team where we go over three key understandings:
My Key tasks are…
I am successful when….
The resources available to me are…
1) My key tasks are…
So many of the greatest conflicts in human history are a result of simple miscommunication.
Many times people do not assume accountability because it isn’t clear to them what exactly they’re supposed to do.
This is the quickest route to frustration for them, and yourself, since a misunderstanding of what their responsibilities are results in two different expectations of the end result.
Instead, they are left guessing at what their role is, and the output is often sub-par work. This is also an easy way to cultivate a disenfranchised workforce, as they aren’t sure exactly how their efforts are contributing to the goals. And nobody feels proud of the work they do when they’re simply “winging it” without clear direction.
To combat this I make sure that all of the assigned tasks are specific, meaningful, and measurable, and therefore unambiguous.
i.e. “I am to increase sales by x amount by this date”
When these are clearly defined and understood, then your team members will always be aware of what is expected of them. And when someone falls short, they will understand how, when, and why. They will be accountable because the goal was always plain.
2) I am successful when…
Once you have established very clear, unambiguous tasks, its time to define how they will be measured as successful.
“When sales go from A to B”
“When cash goes from X to Y”
Again, these metrics are unambiguously defined from the start. You can insert any method of measurement you use to define success, but it just needs to be discussed thoroughly from the onset and approved by all parties.
This last point is worth highlighting. It’s one thing to talk about these tasks and metrics, but it’s another to make sure they are well heard and understood.
Just because you said it doesn’t mean it’s heard.
Just because it is heard doesn’t mean that it is understood.
The burden of this understanding rests on the teacher. It is their responsibility to ensure that all the information and instructions are received AND understood. Most people don’t want to admit when they don’t understand something, and therefore will not ask the necessary questions to fully comprehend something.
Avoid this tragedy by being very open and honest, and bringing the questions to them, even asking them to explain back to you what is being discussed.
3) The resources available to me are…
You have now laid out what tasks are expected, and how they will be measured for success, the next step is showing your team members all of the resources that are at their disposal to help them succeed.
Here you will list all the equipment, people, processes, and mechanisms that are available to them. A true leader will put themselves at the top of this list, demonstrating their commitment to helping any team member in any way possible.
Your goal is to not only inform them of what they have access to, but to make them comfortable and entirely free to use the resources that you’ve set up for them.
And then you measure them
This is where I let my team members know that I will be visiting them, usually prepared with a report they provided me with their progress.
We’ll set a time once a week, or once a month, where we will go over their report together.
Particularly in sales, but in other areas as well, I have found that I don’t need to say much in those meetings. If the results or numbers are positive, then a good team member will feel proud enough of their accomplishments that ridiculous showings of praise almost feel disingenuous. (But they are appreciated).
If there’s a mishap, I can just say “Hey (Bruce/Jane), I’ve been looking over what we agreed was to be the measurement tool…”
And at this point, they will likely jump into all of the excuses, reasons (good or bad), or any rationale for why they weren’t hitting their numbers because they already know the report and what they should’ve been doing.
Once you have agreed on a return and report status, most of the work will take care of itself. If your team member is any degree of a responsible citizen, they will already be holding themselves accountable at a level higher than you possibly could.
Because they know what they need to do, how they need to do it, and where they can get help accomplishing it, you’ve set this cycle up nicely, and there’s no room for misinterpretation.
Remember it’s about growth
This is all easy, and it’s all possible.
The difficult part is keeping yourself accountable to keep it running.
If you can install these procedures into your organization, you will certainly see your team take more accountability for their deliverables. I don’t particularly like thinking of it this way though, so I’ll switch it up to say that is how you help people become better because that’s what really matters most.
Ultimately, the job of the managerial leader is to grow each member of the team so that they are better than when they started. In doing so, they will also achieve far more than they ever thought they would, and more than what you initially employed them to do.
Aaron Webber is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Webber Investments LLC, as well as a Managing Partner at Madison Wall Agencies.
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