How To Hold People Accountable In A Way That Will Encourage New Leadership

One of the most valuable skills in leadership development and in any relationship is how to hold people accountable. It's also the least understood and too often, the most bungled attempt at problem-solving.

I learned this skill from an expert years ago. He used it to build a successful business that was based on absolute integrity and every member of his team understood that and represented their business in the highest manner.

At that time I also realized how far off base my concept of holding people accountable was, and recognized how past experiences on both sides of the subject were detrimental.

In this page we'll give you the best method for holding people accountable, including ourselves. You'll see how much more effective listening is over confronting and how guiding rather than pushing is always more productive. We'll also bring in some of the skills we've already written about. Our pages are structured to build upon each other. In the container block below, we've listed some of those pages for your convenience. Our page directory has all of our full posts. 

How To Hold People Accountable So Everyone Wins

A little advance planning will eliminate many negative situations. Not all of them, but a bunch of them. A little farther down the page we'll help you with how to handle those negative events that might occur.

The first thing to recognize is that accountability isn't the goal. It is however the end result when handled properly. The goal is to get people to recognize on their own how their words or actions can hurt people or slow down team initiatives.

Accountability is the end result of taking responsibility for actions and how those actions carry long term consequences. Please understand this important fact. You cannot force accountability. But you can encourage it. In our work with high school and college age leadership teams most of our time is spent on that concept I learned long ago.

We tell them why we will do things. We share the vision. We stress the positive results and how much good will come from our plans. We've found that this simple pre-emptive step invites personal accountability on the part of our young leaders.

When they understand why, they embrace the "how." They take ownership of the process and personal accountability becomes an end result among them. Collectively their understanding of accountability for their words and actions inspires responsibility for their efforts. The same will be true in nearly any organization or relationship.

The Best Ways To Handle Either Side Of Course Correcting

Eventually you will need to have a conversation with someone about being accountable. It's important to remember the difference between reacting and responding. We respond with poise and composure. We're looking for a positive end result. Reacting leads to anger and resentment. Nothing will get accomplished and the stage will be set for more problems. Leaders look to empower, while managers need to control.

* Focus on the action you want to correct. Not on the person. Sometimes people don't even know they are doing something wrong. All of us from time to time, tend to go through life on a self-driving car setting. We blurt out words or act on impulses based on past life experiences. We want to change the actions without condemning the person.

* Listen with the intent to understand. Don't interrupt and only speak when you want to ask a clarifying question. Give them a chance to have that "aha moment" when they recognize for themselves where they can improve.

* Don't ever guilt them or speak in anger. Bringing shame on people only causes them to justify the actions that need to improve or hunker down into a victim mentality where accountability feels like an attack on them personally.

* Guide them to become self-aware of what they said or didn't say, what they did or didn't do that caused a problem which required improvement. The best way to hold people accountable is to get them to think introspectively and recognize their own missteps. Compassion always works better than condemnation to bring people back to the pathway of embracing their own accountability.

What if the tables are turned? What if you are the one being asked to be accountable? When those table are turned and we are on the receiving end, it can be hard to accept. Just follow the same guidelines.

Ask questions. "How do you think I hurt that person? How should I have gone about it better? How can I fix it?" Don't get defensive, don't pull that victim shield over yourself and duck responsibility. We're all human. We all make mistakes.

We're going against best SEO practices by adding a video that goes beyond the suggested four minutes. This one is about fifteen minutes. It fits this page and also applies to some other ones on our website. Eventually it will make it to our home page.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are leading people, share the "why", promote the vision. Your people will embrace the cause and work on the "how." If you need to fix problems and at some point you will, do so with compassion and a calm demeanor. Respond, don't react. You aren't ignoring or excusing incorrect or hurtful actions and words. You are addressing the specific issue, not judging the person.

You are listening with the intent to understand and you are guiding that person in such a way that they can see their own missteps, and make the proper changes.

You are always accepting accountability for the results of your own actions and always looking to admit mistakes and fix them.

How to hold people accountable is a vital skill. The best method is to model accountability by your own actions, listen when trying to change incorrect actions and inspire people to look within themselves to do the same.

It's all about the "why." If you show them why, they will learn how.

Return to Accountability as a Core Value

Return to Home Page

Privacy Policy