You can’t make someone accountable.

It is a choice a person makes, and if they don’t want to be accountable, they just won’t. No amount of forcing will get them there, in fact, it will probably just push them in the other direction.

But don’t panic. There are some building blocks that you can put in place to help them understand their accountability and encourage them to step up. Here are a few to set you off on the right track…

Are they the right person?

Remember I said accountability is a choice? That choice starts with you and who you hire. You need to ensure that everyone you hire shares your company values. Then once they are through the door, they then need to live these values. These behaviours are infectious, so you want to make sure you have the ‘right’ behaviours living and breathing in your organisation, through your people.

Are they in the right role?

Now that you have that right person, they need to be doing a job that fits their skills, excites them, encourages them to grow and gives them a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Take time to understand their expertise and their ambition for the future. If you can match them up with the right role, you’ll be off to a flying start.

Is the vision clear?

Does everyone know what the business vision is? A clear vision should tell people what the business stands for, where it is going in the future and what it wants to achieve. It should excite your people and get them rowing in the same direction.

Your people should be able to see themselves in the vision and understand how they can contribute to achieving it. Help them to understand where the business is going and the role that they can play in getting it there.

Do they know what good looks like?

So, they are the right person, in the right role. They know and understand how they contribute to the vision, and they have a clear purpose. To help them go the distance with accountability, you need to help them understand what ‘good’ looks like. When they are inspired to take accountability, encourage this to continue and give them the tools to know that what they are doing is working. Having a team scorecard in place helps them to see how key metrics are tracking and where they need to focus their efforts.

Communication is key; make sure you have regular one-to-ones to feedback on progress and help them to solve any issues. Having a development plan in place is a great way to ensure they stay on track with their accountabilities whilst keeping an eye on the future and any career aspirations.

Need some help with building a culture of accountability? Contact Tribe to learn more.

Charlotte Hartley, 17/01/2023