How Leaders Can Foster Team Accountability (Instead Of Accountability To The Leader)
- Dec 21, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 17, 2024
Expert Panelists are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within the areas of Business, Mindset, Leadership, Lifestyle, and Sustainability. Members of The Brainz Magazine community of experts will share their best tips, advice, ideas, and hacks on different topics.
Expert Panelists
1. Engage and encourage not impose
Data is clear that high-performing teams have a lot in common. Among other things, engagement, intrinsic motivation, a common shared goal, purpose and plan are key. Highly engaged and motivated team members driven by purpose that is fuelled by the team's mission will foster accountability to each other rather than just leadership.
Ketan Kulkarni, SavvyPhysician
2. Invest in team building
Team Building creates strong ties between group members through different kinds of activities and events, with the objective of making a unified team out of a group of people. In turn, this fosters team accountability as seen by:
increased trust & inclusivity
better communication & collaboration
enhanced employee engagement
increased creativity & innovation
creation of high performing teams
problem solving & conflict resolution; and
Having fun!
3. Celebrate wins and discuss failures together
Whether a project is highly successful or bombs, there are opportunities for learning and ongoing development. And – discussing failures builds psychological safety in teams. Teams are more accountable to each other when they celebrate successes together and help each other in challenging times. “I” is replaced by “we”. Leaders play a pivotal role in creating the right conditions to allow teams to thrive in this way, and be accountable to each other to breed team success.
4. Stop micromanaging your talent
Accountability is created on the foundations of trust and respect. If individual team members are focusing on their accountability to the leader first, it might indicate that the leader is confusing guidance with micromanagement. An effective tactic is for leaders to encourage and create working time for brainstorming solutions as a team first – before seeking input from the leader. When a team is given the opportunity to learn from and depend on each other, deeper trust, respect and innovation are created. When leaders extract themselves from micromanaging the process of success, the team is allowed to now turn to each other as accountable partners trusted to impact successful outcomes.
A. Caryn Mefford, Conscious Leadership Strategist
5. Evolve from success to significance
If a team does not have a compelling, meaningful purpose that motivates them to do more and be more, they collapse into drama, hierarchical battles, turf wars, and sucking up to be the leader's favorite. The team's "True North" purpose must evolve stakeholders to their NEXT level of potential – not just deliver their current existence. Most likely, delivering a compelling Purpose is something they've never done before – but it's a promise they commit to on behalf of the beneficiaries of their teamwork.
6. Develop a supportive attitude toward the team
I embrace, practice, and teach the quantum leadership style when leading an organisation. This style of leadership encompasses empathy, inclusiveness and enables me to develop a more supportive attitude toward my staff. It is very important to empower those working for you, to let them have a view regarding certain decisions that a leader may make within a particular organisation. This inclusivity significantly increases productivity because staff will have a stake in the future of the organisation. They also will know that you respect them and so their loyalty and commitment will increase as a result. Overall better business performance and decision-making are observed when you, as a leader, foster a supportive and inclusive culture within your organisation.
