Maintaining Accountability Across Your Organization

When you make yourself accountable for something, you take a considerable risk. You become responsible for that project, that promise or idea. Your name, your reputation - and possibly even your career, are on the line.

Going Beyond Personal Integrity

You probably already know integrity and accountability are essential to any effective leader. You may strive for personal accountability. That is an excellent first step, but it's also a step not everyone has the preparation to make.

Make no mistake about it: You must put in the practice in order to hold yourself accountable for your actions. To generate accountability on all levels of your team, you have to help others realize the same potential you have cultivated and honed in yourself.

Helping Accountability Thrive

You can help others take ownership of their actions by working toward a culture where accountability is expected. There are three requirements for this goal to become a reality:

· Precisely defined culture

·  Accountable leadership

· Clear communication of expectations

Defining Culture

At this point, you know where you're going. You know what success looks like. You've honed your vision, expanded it and made it into a force that drives you forward. Now, you need everybody in your organization to take charge of their own roles, owning their successes and learning from their failures.

This means you need a definition of your culture that is focused, realistic for your operations and aligned with your goals. A well-defined culture should teach everyone how to do the right thing, regardless of the circumstances.

Culture forms the basis for accountability. Your team will have a reference to help justify their actions and guide their reactions.

Embodying Leadership

Definitions are essential, but leadership is about action. Everyone in your organization looks to you as an example of how to act. Although you may have different roles than your team members, you should never play by different rules. To display accountability, commit to walking the talk of your culture — and to openly acknowledging and remedying any missteps you might make.

Communicating Expectations

Sometimes, a good example is simply not enough. Team members may not respect or understand a change in culture, or they may not understand the way you've communicated it.

At this stage, communication is key. In fact, this step is the beginning and end of many conversations about accountability. You may have some tough decisions to make, but accountability will thrive as long as you communicate clearly and prioritize your culture.

Fostering Growth

In most organizations, an accountability problem is a cultural problem. The reason is simple: The culture itself is what you want your team to be accountable to. When the guidelines are clear and equally shared, there's no gray area — everyone is more likely to own up to their actions.

Becoming accountable as an organization is a catalyst for success. The transition isn't always easy — it may demand your full range of leadership skills and a mountain of commitment — but it is always possible.