This month, we challenge you to build a culture of accountability. In 2018, we introduced our Five Ys of Leadership as a better way to assess, and strive to be, the leader you would choose to follow. The last of our Five Ys challenges leaders to clarify and model the standards for accountability in the organizations they lead.

Many organizations claim Integrity as a core value. At CEEK, we distinguish accountability as one of three critical elements of Integrity. When you say you will do something, do you follow through? Do you show up on time? Do you honor your commitments? We all fall short at times relative to this form of integrity.

The good news is that we can restore it: Acknowledge it, pursue a corrective course of action, specify a new commitment, and stick to it. This strategy is useful; however, a consistent failure to honor one’s word or commitments can destroy a reputation. We see this as one of the pervasive problems in organizations. You and your colleagues are overwhelmed by commitments, fail to follow through and hold each other accountable, so culture and engagement suffer. The perpetual pressure to meet commitments can affect your ability to honor your worth, leaving you more vulnerable to ethical lapses.

While we often associate accountability with what we do (the tasks and results we desire), leaders and organizations commonly fail to hold themselves and their colleague accountable to how we do it (the values and behaviors we profess).

Build a Culture of Accountability

This month we challenge leaders to clarify and embrace standards for both. Consider the following:

1. Clarify Cascading Goals and Responsibilities – Most organizations have a strategic plan. How often does the plan collect dust until the next annual offsite? Break down your goals into monthly, weekly, and daily priorities and associated actions. Clarify roles and responsibilities in pursuit of the results you desire. Challenge yourself and your colleagues to identity two to three priorities every day, week, month, and year.
2. Clarify Cascading Values and Behaviors – Few organizations have a culture plan. Though the organization’s values are defined, how many of your colleagues have the same understanding of the application of the professed values? Define and publicize the behavioral standards for application of your professed values. Recognize that culture can be defined by the worst tolerated behavior.
3. Establish Accountability Rituals – Assess your current meetings, feedback, and performance assessments. How are they serving you and your colleagues? Establish simple rituals to promote accountability. Start every meeting with a stated objective. End every meeting with a call to action. Self-report daily on two priorities for the day or week. Conduct a monthly retrospective on how you’re doing relative to the application of a professed value. Give effective feedback generously – first by demonstrating how to request and receive it well.
4. Measure and Track Progress – Get intentional and creative in your effort to track and measure progress. Yearly target output metrics are a start, do you capture input metrics for the day, week, or month? Are you capturing and completing action items and honoring commitments? What about culture? Do you assess the perceived degree of consistency between professed values and demonstrated behaviors? (If not, give CEEK a call!)

Fostering a culture of accountability is not without its challenges; however, with some intentionality, consistent effort, and a little bit of grace, you can greatly increase your organization’s probability of success in terms of what you do and how you do it. Clarify standards, test accountability rituals, and CEEK a Better Way^®.