4 ways to create more accountability at work

The Accountability Guy®

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We all want a high-performing team in our offices, which are highly dedicated and willing to work at their best levels to contribute to the team. But along with goals, there are other factors that impact the work atmosphere. You might have individuals in your office that are willing to produce good results for you and your organization, but they are not good teammates. They would find it difficult to work with others, or they might like to blame others for their own mistakes. Well, in this situation, we know that the team members lack practised accountability. What is accountability, one must wonder?

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What is accountability?

Accountability is nothing but basically becoming responsible for your own actions and behaviour at work. Understanding that job roles demand you to perform certain duties, and along with that, it requires you to be proactive and stand up for your mistakes and not blame others for your choices. So, understand how you can improve and let your team also improve along with you. Be respectful and polite to each other. In one aspect, you can also be a mentor to someone else as well, when you perform well. Being said is much easier than being done at work. It’s a big task at work to make everyone learn about accountability. Well, if you do it correctly, then trust me, your team members will love to work with you and would not even like to switch jobs so easily.

4 ways to create more accountability

1. Setting examples

When you want your team to start learning and practising about accountability, then it is important that you yourself become the role model for them and set examples for them. You show them how you expect them to work as a team player. Teach them that they need to respect each other, be dependent on each other, be responsible for their own work and decision making, and if anything doesn’t go in your favour, they should stand up for their own actions. Lead them with examples and, as their manager, they will see you as their role model. They would like to learn from you even more, and they will become adaptable to the changes. The team will respect you even more.

2. Goals-driven

Make it clear from day one what exactly they are supposed to do. Set the right goals for the team and for the individuals as well. As you are giving them goals, show them that you yourself are also setting some goals and that you will also achieve them in the given time frame. Let them learn that you are also equally involved in the team goals as any other team member.

3. Create a feedback culture

Feedback is an essential component of any healthy and successful working team and organization. Show them that your welcome feedback and you wouldn’t discourage them from sharing their point of view to resolve any issues or problems. In the same way, you also give them feedback on a time-to-time basis. Let them know that it’s part of their growth and learning and how they can improve by getting both positive and negative feedback. Make them understand that feedback doesn’t mean sharing complaints about others in the team, so they should not come and complain or blame others.

4. Rewards

No matter at what level you are working at, setting rewards and receiving rewards for good work always encourages employees to work with more dedication. So, to set good standards of accountability in your office, it will be important that you set a good reward and acknowledgment system too. The moment their peers are aware that if you meet the standards and you get rewarded, then everyone will try even harder to meet all the necessary standards. Rewards have been a very crucial tool in setting up any new methods in the workplace.

Final Thoughts

Accountability, when practiced, can be very fruitful because it increases team members’ dedication; peers will learn to respect each other; they will stop blaming each other and learn from their mistakes; they will learn to make better decisions; and, in the end, members will only run up to managers with solutions to problems, not just problems. This way, the employee’s retention will increase, and no one will like to leave the workplace where they are respected and awarded. The team members will also learn to trust each other, and the teamwork will be more effective. As a mentor, they will respect you as manager and also each other as members. They will begin to learn from each other and from their seniors as well. Hence, these four critical execution methods will help you and your team to set good standards of accountability. Setting a good example as yourself will undoubtedly help to relate the issues and think about them more proactively.

About The Author

Darren Finkelstein, The Accountability Guy®, is the founder of TICK THOSE BOXES, a specialised accountability coaching practice. Darren is a formidable international accountability coach, business advisor, mentor, and author/speaker, fostering development and measurable results in entrepreneurship, leadership, and accountability. Darren’s tale is one of perseverance, self-reinvention, and resilience.

With compelling execution, Darren has empowered high-achieving individuals and teams from Australia and New Zealand to Latin America, Europe, Asia, the UK, and the US to embrace accountability; after all, it is your superpower.

Darren’s one-on-one and group coaching programs are based on his bestselling business book, “The Accountability Advantage – Play your best game” and the latest, release “NO’ – Building a life of choice without obligation”.

Darren has an impressive background in business, having held the role of “Manager of Commercial Markets” at Apple Australia during the Steve Jobs revolution.

He enthusiastically “walks the talk,” having also successfully sold and exited his lifestyle businesses, which served as the impetus for establishing his coaching and mentoring business.

Join Darren on this transformative quest to accomplish the remarkable.

Read Darren’s full bio here:
https://tickthoseboxes.com.au/about/