I heard a wonderful way to express how to be highly accountable in a team environment. It was from Kevin Meyers and the topic was on recipes for how to build highly successful marriages with tips from building successful corporate teams.
Meyers used Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Jossey-Bass) as the model for successful team building.
When I was listening to him explain his thoughts and taking notes, it occurred to me that this was the very same recipe needed for High Accountability Leadership. So here, I shall share the love.
Myers gave two steps for building and maintaining high accountability in teams. They are awesome tips for leaders!
In Principle – Grow Up
As a leader, we need to act responsibly and not takes notes from immature examples: that is simply a dead-end journey. Adopting immature behaviors will ensure that you end up lonely, tired, and out-of-gas. The advice for growing up was to move from a self-pleasing role to one of self-policing. This is the essence of maturity in everything we do and in every aspect of what we do, no matter where we do it. This is heightened even more as leaders because all eyes are you. So, sacrifice your wants for those of a greater good. This is growing up.
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In Practice – Game Film
As a leader, we need to be able to review our performances in an authentic way. The example used was how the NFL football teams in America watch the films of the previous week’s game to examine three important things. These three things to review in your “game film” are:
- The Affirmation – What we did right (Being on track)
- The Conversation – What we need to confront (Being off track)
- The Restoration – What steps we take to win (Getting back on track)
The Affirmation – The majority of accountability is about affirmation. Simply motivate your team by constantly encouraging them with genuine affirmation. Also remember, in marriages, or teams of any kind, usually the number 1 disappointment comes from unmet expectations. Communication is the key here.
The Conversation – Be really real with your people. Whether you have a natural inclination to avoid conflict or not, letting problems rest on the back burner never does anything other than stink up the kitchen. Bring issues to a boil if you have to and get them over with. Courage is the key here.
The Restoration – Refocusing your attention to issues that really hit the bottom line, or that really impact the people who are responsible for getting you the bottom line is going to help you meet your goals and get back on track. Commitment is the key here.
So, how effective are you in facing your accountability issues with the people you lead? What have you had to do in the past that was difficult for you, but paid off in the long run? I’d love to hear your stories!
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