Is accountability a dirty word at your credit union? Do you see finger pointing when something negative happens? Is there a lack of stepping up and taking responsibility for outcomes?
Accountability is such an important concept to understand and practice, whether you are a leader or an employee, holding yourself and others accountable is a major cornerstone of effective workplace collaboration. The core of an accountability culture is a willingness to accept responsibility for me, my actions, my decisions, and the outcomes I produce.
Often, people think of accountability in terms of “catching” others when they fail or do something wrong. This does not have to be the case. Accountability should be about setting and holding yourself and your team to common expectations by clearly defining performance goals and living your organizational values.
Here’s a little story that changed my life and the way I looked at accountability. Many years back the credit union I worked at upgraded to a new operating system. In the months that led up to the actual conversion, we trained, worked together to learn and solve issues, did everything to ensure a smooth “go live” day. When the switch flipped all went bad – the “live day” was a nightmare, and all our preparation was sucked down the drain. The system couldn’t come close to handling the volume of our daily transactions. Everyone was stressed as they attempted to maintain our high levels of member service, comfort member concerns and stay focused on taking one step forward at a time. I’ll spare you the details and cut to the chase. Our CEO called an “all staff” meet up where he took full responsibility for the mess we were in. He spotlighted and praised those who were working their tails off trying to fix the mess and he expressed his appreciation to each and every one of us who were caught in the mess.
Our CEO humbled himself, and apologized to his team and in doing so, set the standard for all of us. That’s accountability and everyone can do it.
Accountable individuals demonstrate that they prioritize the success of the team over themselves. They encourage those around them to behave similarly, ultimately resulting in a culture of accountability and shared vision.
Here’s where building a culture of accountability starts.
- Transparency for leaders
- This means that leaders, all leaders no matter what level of leadership become a role model of accountability. When something goes wrong and it will, don’t point figures, take ownership and move forward.
- Build a safe place to admit when you’ve made a mistake, so that when people do make mistakes, they can own it, and not fear they will be punished or reprimanded.
- Set clear performance expectations and hold yourself and staff accountable.
- Be consistent – hold everyone accountable equally. Favoritism has no place in accountability.
- Recognize and spotlight those that have shown accountability and taken personal responsibility.
Accountability cascades from the top of an organization, building a strong, confident, and passionate team.