Tip 110: Increase Accountability

Leaders play a critical role in instilling and upholding their team members’ accountability.

Holding others accountable starts with setting, maintaining, and modeling expectations. It blossoms through clear and ongoing communications and flourishes or falters based on the team’s culture. To increase accountability on your team, consider these tips:

• Set clear goals and performance expectations with each direct report.

• Develop and sustain confidence in each person on your team.

• Support each team member in meeting their commitments.

• Implement a status-update system that increases visibility into progress.

• Openly troubleshoot team challenges.

• Celebrate and reward excellence

• Promptly address poor performance.shu

• Model the accountability you want to see in others.

Perfection is not the goal, but team members do expect you to do what you say you will do and give them the support they need. Leaders should not be “too busy” to hold themselves and others accountable.

Read more about this week’s leadership tip. 8 ways to improve accountability in your team