Cultivating a Culture of Accountability

Accountability is one of the key elements of leadership. But to hold others accountable, you first must hold yourself accountable. It's hard for you to expect someone to keep their promise when you don't keep your own. Great leaders are famous for noticing what others say around them, and holding those people accountable to their words at a later date. They notice when someone says he will have a project done, and checks up on that person throughout the process to see how he's doing. Sometimes this is all it takes to keep others accountable to their commitments.

But the first step is you must notice what others commit to. Notice what projects they say they are going to tackle, listen for the date they said it would be done, and how they plan on doing it. Then mark your calendar, not just for the date the person is supposed to have the project done by, add the dates you plan on following up with the person to see how he's doing. As you take time out of your day to follow up with him, offer your help to get the project accomplished. We all get busy and forget about the things we said we would do, and sometimes it just takes someone to nicely remind us of those things so we remember to do them. Let him know you're there to help if he needs it (even though he won't want it) and give your advice. You can mentor and coach him through the process without him even knowing it.

Once the project is finished on time and in the manner originally planned, it's time to celebrate. Let him know what a great job he did, give him praise and tell others in the office. Giving lots of positive attention to this kind of work habit and behavior will help to create a culture of accountability for everyone in the organization. Before you know it, everyone will start holding each other accountable.

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