The discussion of accountability in leadership will continue in this segment. You can help your team achieve by assigning goals your team has the capacity to achieve. By recognizing your team’s abilities vs. limits, you can encourage them to reach new peaks. This article continues with ways to make goals more achievable. You don’t have to make it easy, but this prevents discouragement and allows for better measurements of progress.
Bringing the Horizon Closer.
Creating the means of measuring progress & results along the path to your goal.
Every worker and leader is frustrated if unable to measure the success or failure of the progress. Setting small attainable objectives that build up to bigger achievements helps both workers and leaders. Small milestones boost feelings of accomplishment & teamwork. Small objectives also reveal if someone in your team needs help, before it is too late to help them.
During the original expectations discussion, agree with the team on weekly milestones that have clear measurable objectives. If the team misses a target, as a leader you need to act immediately to collectively find a solution.
Constructive feedback is vital to your team. Team members need to know they are missing their goals. By not telling them when there is a problem, you are actually harming their ability to deliver results. Resolve the issues and reschedule the milestones to get the team or worker back on track.
Shaping Culture Through Language.
If more than half of your team uses positive team language, your culture is good and can succeed. language about why your team is good, works well together or achieves great things, indicates belief in the team. That will drive commitment. It will boost morale. It will help ensure success, not just on this project, but across the board.
On the other hand, If you hear phrases like I am good or I have achieved success, there isn’t a team. You have problematic lone wolves which destroy an organization. Accountability in leadership means you need to examine yourself first. Ask yourself: Does my language focus on our organizations success? Then ask yourself: Does the language around you focus on your organization’s success? Do your people use language that brings up your game?
Hold Yourself Accountable
The next guideline is that you need to hold yourself accountable. You need to put in the hours to improve yourself. There will be times you will have to forego pleasure and do things to improve you and/or your team.
Finally, when you look at the success or failure of your team, consider these questions. “Were your instructions clear and attainable? Did you take the time to determine if your team member has the capacity to deliver the desired results? Did the milestones setup help you and your team establish whether the results could be achieved by the deadline? Were you open and honest with your team member in your expectations and how their progress aligned with those expectations?”
At the end of the project time frame, you have three choices. Repeat, reward or release. Repeat if you were unclear in any of the prior steps. Reward success with promotion or acknowledgement. Release team members who are not a good fit for the role. Either move them to the right role or fire them. Be honest and consistent and take the role of accountability in leadership to heart. You may be amazed at the growth it will spark.
