The Accountability Transaction

For effective organizations, accountability is the strongest thread that runs through the complex fabric of the organization, as it defines and shapes all of your working relationships. Think about it, every interaction you have with others includes a transaction of accountability. You are either asking them to do something for you or you are delivering something for them—hundreds of times a day. How you transact your business each day establishes the accountability connection you have with others and defines the kind of accountability you are seeking to create—positive and productive or negative and destructive.

Everyone in your organization is connected by these accountabilities we have to one another. When your accountability connections are working properly, people feel good and accomplish more for you. The telltale signs of strong, effective accountability connections are:

• High levels of trust
• Openness and transparency
• Lots of feedback that flows freely in all directions
• People getting things done

In contrast, when your accountability connections are not working, people feel frustrated and accomplish less. They immediately begin to actively or passively disengage. Signs of weak, ineffective accountability connections are:

• Low morale
• Cautiousness and self-protection
• Missed deadlines and unachieved results
• People languishing Below the Line, finger pointing and blaming others

Want more trust in your organization? Then create greater accountability and see how people operate Above the Line and establish expectations and accountability connections that work. Want better communication and more open conversations? Then create greater accountability and see the level of feedback and dialogue increase dramatically because accountable people seek feedback. Want better execution? Then create greater accountability and watch how people take the four Steps to Accountability—See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do it and get things done.

Accountability has a pervasive influence and decisive effect on the transactional nature of the relationships we have with one another in organizations. When accountability is missing, things don’t get done. When accountability is misapplied, things may get done, but not well, because people don’t have the necessary ownership. When accountability is managed properly, things not only get done, they get done well—often better than you expected. Accountability can do more to liberate, engage, energize, and drive people toward ever improving results than any other single leadership or organizational principle. The first thing you need to get right in your organization is accountability. To create the kind of accountability we’re talking about, go to https://www.partnersinleadership.com/.