It’s one of those things that makes you go hmm. There are variations to the verbiage. “Mike is not accountable.” “They are not accountable.” “There is no accountability here.” Regardless of the actual words, there is a commonality. The statement is always in reference to someone else. It may be an individual, a team, or a culture.
Someone failed to meet a commitment. At that point what matters most is the impact of that failure and how to mitigate it. Humility is usually a good idea here. A leader who doesn’t deliver on a commitment is always responsible for that failure. Defensiveness or blaming others doesn’t play well even if technically accurate. Don’t add lemon juice to your own cut of failure.
With accountability and the accompanying shame in place, the following are some common factors that contribute to the “No Accountability” mantra.
- Lack of clarity. The boss notices something that is not as the boss thinks it should be. The boss makes an off-hand comment and the well- intentioned Director of IT says something like “Got it.” He takes care of it but it is not the same it that the boss had in mind. Two weeks later in the staff meeting the tirade begins, “Mike, I am disappointed in your lack of accountability. Two weeks ago I told you to fix……….. .” As bosses we tend to presume that others are seeing things through our lenses. Be clear about what is expected and when. If you are Mike on the other side of this exchange be sure you know what “it” is when you say, “Got it.”
- Inconsistent priorities. Everything on the list is a priority. The current common reality is that a persistent sense of urgency must be demonstrated to not be considered a slacker. An unfocused sense of urgency creates a frantic nature in which priority is determined by who says something rather than the factors that are most important to success. As bosses, understand that our off-hand comments can unintentionally upset and reconfigure priorities. Create an environment where team members can safely challenge when they see it. Subordinate leaders, step-up to ensure clarity when priorities are being reordered.
- Broken processes. No leader wants to miss a commitment and own the resulting scorn. Yet persistently leaders put band-aids on process failures that cause missed commitments. The band-aid is quick and not too painful. The root cause is complicated and may cross departmental lines into a colleague’s accountability. If you are a member of an executive team, that team, the effectiveness of that team and success of the business is the top accountability. Failure to deliver due to a broken process is one you own.
Accept a leadership position and you have accepted this accountability. When something isn’t right I either Contribute to it, Participate in it, or Allow it.
Pause and take a look in the mirror before being too accusatory about a lack of accountability you perceive in someone else.