Leadership Accountability: The #1 Mistake You're Making
Are you struggling to stay on track with your goals? Feeling like you can't seem to make any progress? The power of accountability will take you and your company to new levels! In this episode, Andrea and Michelle talk about the power of accountability and how it can help you achieve your goals.
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Leadership Accountability: The #1 Mistake You're Making
Many businesses struggle with the same problems: one of them is accountability. It can be challenging for leaders to ensure everyone in their team completes tasks and meets company goals. That's why establishing a culture of accountability is crucial for any business.
When everyone takes responsibility for their work, it sets the tone for better collaboration and more successful outcomes.
In this first episode of the Leadership Hustle, we go through the 3 top common mistakes businesses make when trying to be an accountable company and create a better work environment for their team.
What is Accountability?
Before jumping into the #1 mistakes you might be making, we need to have a clear understanding of what accountability means
The Cambridge dictionary defines it as being responsible for what you do and being able to give a satisfactory reason for it or the degree to which this happens.
In business, this is easier said than done. Being accountable goes beyond just doing your job. It means being aware of the needs of your position, what happens when your tasks are completed or not, and how to affect others.
These are some of the reasons why accountable culture fails:
The curse of knowledge
The #1 mistake leaders make when creating a culture of accountability is to hold on to responsibilities. We see our business as our baby, our unique creation, and leaving it in someone else's hands can be challenging; we know that.
Most of the time, as business owners, we have too much (if not all) of our business information and knowledge. If we know all the details and nuances of a project, we might feel that we have no choice but to do it ourselves and micromanage every aspect.
In reality, gate-keeping information will only create tension among our team and make the workload heavier for us. We need to start delegating and giving employees autonomy while ensuring everyone understands what they need to do.
Delegating will benefit your team's ability to take on responsibilities. as the leader, your job is supervising and mentoring your team, not doing ALL the work.
Be clear with expectations.
Another mistake many leaders make is not being transparent with our expectations. Transparency is key in the workplace, especially when it comes to expectations.
It’s easy to assume that everyone understands what they’re supposed to be doing. As a business owner, it’s crucial to clearly outline each employee’s role and responsibilities and what you expect from them in terms of performance.
Ambiguity can lead to misunderstandings and decreased productivity. Imagine you need a sales report or presentation by the end of the week; if you only tell your teammates to “get a report” or “make a presentation,” they might not have the complete information needed to meet your expectations.
Your team needs clear guidelines and exact timelines for completing tasks or projects. This will help ensure that everything gets done on time without them feeling pressured.
Being clear with your expectation will also help your team tell you if there´s anything they might feel is too rushed, hard, or complicated to accomplish in a set time frame. And clearness will improve communication among your team.
Mindfulness matters
Mindfulness in business is being present and fully engaged in the moment. It means paying attention to your and your team's thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment.
Accountability It's not just about completing work tasks; it's about understanding why each job is important. To create an accountable culture, you must remind your team members why their tasks matter, who will benefit from them, and how those benefits will ripple into the company's goals.
Mindfulness helps people stay motivated about their work and better understand why it is valuable, even when times get rough or things don’t go according to plan.
Take the time to have “one on ones” with your teammates, and listen to what they have to say (their concerns and struggles). Doing this will help you have a more mindful understanding of what can be improved.
By clearly defining what everyone is doing, how they feel about their work, and how they impact your business, you can identify delegation opportunities, job necessities and understand your workflow.
What if we don't meet an expectation?
Think of this scenario: you have this big project almost ready and just getting the final details when you realize you don't have the complete data; this will delay your due date by a day or two. Your boss expects you to finish this project by the end of the day. How do you take accountability?
Even if this delay is because of your mistake or someone else's, it's essential to be responsible for your projects and tasks, even if others were involved, and have solutions for your team.
With an accountable culture, there may be times when expectations or goals won´t be met as planned. That doesn't mean you should abandon your expectations; instead, look at what went wrong, take responsibility, and address it moving forward.
If this happens to you, as a team leader, you should also make yourself accountable; setting an example for your employees will be the key to creating a culture of accountability in your business.
How do I start to create an accountable culture?
Here is a rundown of what we can learn from common mistakes and how to build a strong culture of accountability in your business:
Delegate your responsibilities
Don't gate-keep your company's information. Share it with the team.
Be mindful and let others know why their work is important
Be clear with the expectation you have about each task and role.
Listen to your peers and their concerns and struggles to set realistic expectations.
Communication is vital: accountability starts with clear communication with your peers.
If you or a team member does not meet expectations, review what happened and learn from those mistakes.
Set an example, and hold yourself accountable first.
Ask for help and counseling if needed. There are experts out there that can help you build a well-structured program.
Creating a culture of accountability takes effort but is worth it. By avoiding common mistakes like micromanaging or not being clear with expectations, you can foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable taking ownership of their tasks and taking responsibility, ultimately strengthening your business.
About the Hosts
Andrea Fredrickson
Andrea Fredrickson is a thought leader and consultant at Revela, an organization based in Omaha, Nebraska specializing in the development of leaders, culture alignment, and business strategy for private and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness. Andrea has built an amazing team by believing that fundamentally people want to be successful and become better versions of themselves.
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Andrea has degrees in education, management, and business. She is the author of Insight Unseen; How to lead with 20/20 business vision. She helps people see things differently, self-reflect, and never stop looking for ways to improve themselves on a personal and professional level. Andrea has spent more than 30 years researching and developing methods to help people communicate and lead more effectively.
When Andrea isn’t working with clients, you’ll find her spending time with her family & friends and making memories by exploring new cities.
Michelle Hill
Michelle Hill is a master facilitator and coach at Revela, an organization specializing in the development of leaders and aligning the culture of privately held and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness.
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An ambitious leader, Michelle has the natural ability to create forward momentum to build teams and get results. She inspires others to look within themselves and to challenge the status quo. She helps create high-performing environments. Michelle brings a diverse background: operations, employee development, and sales in the steel, hospitality, and consulting industries.
Outside of work, you will see her competitive side engaged in her daughter’s sports and ISU athletics. She loves life, her four-legged companions, and captures all the moments through her camera’s lens.
TRANSCRIPT
Andrea Fredrickson: On today's Leadership Hustle podcast, we're going to talk about everybody's favorite topic of accountability. Michelle Hill and I will talk about the three main things that are going to help make sure that you get that culture set the right way. Hello and welcome to the Leadership Hustle for executives whose companies are growing fast and need leaders who are ready. I am so excited because this is our first podcast recording, so I am wanting to introduce you to Michelle Hill. She works with us and I am Andrea Fredrickson, as you probably heard in the intro. Today we're going to talk a little bit about accountability. Accountability has is one our number one searched word in all of our our content. And so we thought this is a good place to start.