Finding equilibrium between empathy and responsibility has always been a crucial challenge for leaders. During the early stages of the pandemic, organisations prioritised employee well-being with flexible working conditions and additional support. However, recent circumstances have prompted a shift in focus towards results, deadlines, and targets. This raises the question of whether there is a way to establish accountability while preserving the emphasis on employee support.
By comprehending the cognitive processes affiliated with accountability, we can develop effectual accountability strategies throughout an organisation. By embracing these habits explained in the article effectively, organisations can mitigate perceived extreme swings between caring and result-centric measures.
Understanding Accountability from a Psychological Perspective
Accountability can be perceived in two contrasting ways, and the approach leaders take will influence their team’s performance:
- Threatening: Punitive accountability focuses on admonishing individuals for mistakes and failures, creating a culture of blame and anxiety.
- Worthy Challenge: This form of accountability interprets task ownership as an opportunity for personal growth, with missteps perceived as instances to improve.
The second type of accountability is preferable since fostering a growth mindset results in enhanced individual performance, learning, adaptability, and overall contentment. Consequently, growth-oriented accountability benefits team culture by stimulating a solution-driven approach.
Four Habits That Cultivate Accountability
To develop compassionate and results-oriented accountability, leaders need to encourage four key habits: thinking ahead, taking responsibility for commitments, focusing on solutions, and promoting psychological safety.
1. Think ahead:
Clear communication of expectations begins with having a comprehensive vision of a task. Leaders should anticipate possible outcomes, challenges, and requirements of a task and communicate the envisioned steps clearly to their team members. This process helps establish mutual understanding, enabling employees to align their actions with specific objectives. By anticipating obstacles and preparing for various scenarios, leaders can boost employees’ likelihood of success.
2. Take responsibility for commitments:
Abiding by commitments is vital for cultivating trust and reliability within a team. Leaders must consistently follow through with their promises and ensure their words align with their actions. Demonstrating commitment averts confusion and maintains engagement, thus improving collaboration and productivity.
3. Focus on solutions:
Accountability should involve an emphasis on growth and improvement, even when errors occur. When teams experience setbacks, leaders should approach missteps by focusing on solutions instead of adopting a punitive standpoint. Encouraging growth-oriented thinking and collaborative problem-solving fosters accountability without instilling fear of potential punishment.
4. Promote psychological safety:
To ensure a robust culture of accountability, teams must feel emotionally secure enough to take risks and share concerns or ideas. Leaders need to create an environment where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning and where open, honest communication is encouraged. When psychological safety is prioritised, team members are more likely to willingly take on challenging tasks and grow from their experiences.
In Summary
A balanced approach to accountability should prioritise support for team members without compromising objectives and results. By cultivating the right habits, such as thinking ahead, taking responsibility, and focusing on solutions, teams can eliminate the fear of failure and concentrate on growth.
At Global Coach Group UK (GCG UK), we specialise in coaching managers to develop these crucial skills. For more information on how GCG UK can assist your leaders visit our Leadership Coaching page. Connect with our network of over 4,000 exceptional coaches to begin your leaders’ journey towards confident and effective leadership today.