There’s no question about it: business success is a team effort.
Teams push projects forward, develop new ideas, and, importantly, make sure strategic plans happen.
However, to hold your team to account isn’t about pointing the finger when things go south. It’s about creating a space where everyone happily takes charge with honesty and consistency.
Here are nine ways to hold your team to account in a constructive, empowering way:
Create Clear Expectations
Start by ensuring every team member gets what they need to do, what their jobs are, and what’s expected of them. Use S.M.A.R.T goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to create a clear and achievable roadmap for everyone.
Top Tip: Utilise visual aids, such as charts or diagrams, to represent workflows and responsibility chains to enhance clarity. Make them as visible as possible in the office.
Cultivate a Culture of Ownership
Encourage team members to take pride and ownership of their projects. This can be achieved by creating a space where people feel proud of what they do!
You can do this by:
● Recognising and celebrating successes
● Providing the necessary resources for completing tasks
● Ensuring that members have freedom over their work
Top Tip: Implement an “Appreciation Board” in your team. An Appreciation Board is a place (physical or digital) where team members can give each other shout-outs and recognition for the amazing things they’ve done. Whether it’s for nailing a presentation, helping a teammate, or simply brightening the office with a smile – everything counts!
Set aside a few minutes in your team meetings to highlight these achievements and let people share their appreciation for each other. This simple practice can boost pride, ownership, and positivity in the team. This can contribute to making the workspace a cheerful and motivating place to be!
Encourage Transparent Communication
Accountability is founded on good communication. Make sure everyone can talk easily and openly to avoid misunderstandings. Have regular check-ins and update meetings to encourage everyone to voice their challenges, progress, and ideas.
Top Tip: To hold your team accountable, use digital communication and project management tools like Slack or Asana to maintain steady, organised communication, especially in remote or hybrid working setups. In the office, create collaborative spaces to boost connection.
Constructive Feedback
Build bridges, not walls! This means developing a feedback culture that’s constructive, solution-focused, and delivered with empathy.
Celebrating the wins, tackling challenges with a can-do attitude, and ensuring feedback is always about what we do, not who we are. Balancing positive reinforcement with constructive criticism creates a healthy, motivational environment.
Top Tip: Try the “Sandwich Method” when giving feedback. Start with a positive note by acknowledging something good the person has done (the first slice of bread). Then, share the area that needs improvement or the constructive criticism (the filling). Finally, end on a positive note, maybe suggesting how to make the improvement or commend their previous achievements (the second slice of bread). This way, feedback is framed positively, and it’s clear that you’re on their side.
Equip, Educate, Empower
Ensure your team has all the training, tools, and backing they need to do their jobs well. This will boost their abilities and make them even more confident in handling their tasks!
Top Tip: Set up a casual, friendly learning environment by organising “Lunch and Learn” sessions where team members can gain new knowledge. You can invite experts from specific fields or even have team members share insights about a topic they’re passionate about. These sessions provide a relaxed atmosphere to learn something new. It not only builds skills but also enhances team bonding over shared learning experiences.
Lead by Example
To hold your team to account, you must demonstrate through your actions that you’re all about responsibility, honesty, and dedication. Your team sees you as their guide, so by being a living example of the values you want them to adopt. This creates a real-life model to mirror.
Top Tip: Implement a “Leadership Spotlight” Series where leaders in your team share stories about their own journey, mistakes, learnings, and how they embody the team’s values and principles in their role. This could be in the form of short videos, blog posts, or even live Q&A sessions that are shared with the team.
The goal is to showcase the human side of leadership, demonstrating that accountability, integrity, and commitment are practised at all levels, especially at the top. It offers real-life examples of values in action and helps create a culture of openness and continuous improvement in a relatable and inspiring way.
Address Accountability Lapses
When someone in the team slips up with accountability, tackle it quickly, fairly, and without judgement. Dig into the heart of the problem, include the people involved in finding a solution, and ensure any fixes keep the team spirit strong and united.
Top Tip: Create an “Accountability Buddy” system. Pair up team members as accountability buddies, creating a supportive space where they can gently point out each other’s missteps and helps find ways to avoid them in the future. It’s not just about catching mistakes. It’s about generating an atmosphere where team members help each other stay on track, share insights, and develop together in a friendly, non-judgmental way.
Track Progress
Use performance numbers, KPIs, and check-ins to monitor your team’s performance. Celebrate the big and small wins, steer things back if they go off path, and always ensure they’re all heading towards the same big goals together.
Top Tip: Create a visual “Goal Thermometer” displayed prominently in your work area (or virtually, for remote teams). As your team progresses toward a particular goal, fill in the thermometer to visualise how close you’re to achieving your objectives. This provides a clear, engaging, and daily reminder of team objectives and the progress being made towards them. It also helps maintain transparency and alignment, as everyone can see how their contributions move the team closer to the goals.
Incentivise Accountability
Introduce rewards, shout-outs, and treats that celebrate your team’s accountability and hard work! Ensure everyone can clearly see, reach, and link rewards to their or their team’s outstanding contributions.
Top Tip: Organising “away days” can effectively motivate and incentivise your team. Away days provide a unique opportunity for your team members to step out of their usual work environment and engage in various team-building activities and experiences. It boosts morale, foster teamwork, and enhance overall job accountability and satisfaction.
In management, to hold your team to account isn’t just about having a box to check; it’s the glue that brings together commitment, honesty, and quality work.
A culture of accountability creates a space where every win, big or small, is a shared celebration!
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