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Accountability is often treated as something that only comes into play when someone makes a mistake. Leaders hold people accountable when expectations are missed, standards slip, or behavior needs to change. But that leaves out an equally important side of accountability: taking responsibility for what goes right and using positive performance to create more of it. In this minisode, Matt and Josh talk about how accountability applies to both positive and corrective behaviors and the four levels leaders can use to encourage continuous improvement.
Accountability starts with you
“If I'm not holding myself accountable, it's really hard for me to do that with other people.”
Before leaders can effectively hold others accountable, they need to take responsibility for their own actions. Accountability itself is neither positive nor negative. It begins with recognizing what you did, whether that means acknowledging an accomplishment or admitting a mistake. This makes accountability partly introspective. Leaders build greater credibility when they demonstrate the same ownership they expect from their teams.
Positive accountability creates momentum
“Giving yourselves a little more credit inspires you to do more good, positive stuff.”
Taking credit for something that went well does not need to mean simply patting yourself on the back. There is a difference between taking credit and using success as motivation for continued improvement. Matt and Josh use the AttractionPros Podcast as an example. Reaching 468 episodes is worth celebrating, but the accomplishment also creates enthusiasm for reaching 500 and beyond. Positive accountability turns recognition of past performance into momentum toward the next achievement.
Recognition extends accountability to others
“This third layer of accountability is about leadership and recognizing those behaviors in others.”
Once leaders practice accountability themselves, they can extend it to the people around them. On the positive side, this means identifying behaviors that meet or exceed expectations and specifically recognizing the team members responsible. That recognition can then influence people to repeat those behaviors without a leader needing to constantly remind them. Accountability becomes a leadership tool for reinforcing what good performance looks like and encouraging more of it.
Corrective accountability follows the same path
“It's very hard to influence someone's behavior without calling out what that behavior is, either positive or negative.”
When something goes wrong, the process follows a remarkably similar sequence. First, acknowledge the mistake. Second, change the behavior that caused it. Third, leaders identify the behavior in others when expectations are not met. Finally, they coach and influence the person toward improved behavior. The positive and corrective sides are two sides of the same coin, because the fundamental process remains consistent. What changes is the direction the behavior needs to go.
Accountability creates continuous improvement
“There's always room for continuous improvement, even if it's improving upon a very positive behavior.”
Accountability should not only appear when performance falls below expectations. Leaders can use it whenever they observe behavior, whether they want to correct something or build upon something already working well. That eliminates the idea of a status quo. Strong performance can become stronger, and mistakes can become opportunities to change behavior. When leaders consistently recognize both sides, accountability becomes part of ongoing development rather than something employees associate exclusively with getting in trouble.
What does accountability look like in your organization? How do you recognize positive behaviors while also addressing those that need improvement? We would love to hear your thoughts and how you might expand on these four levels of accountability. Find AttractionPros on social media or email attractionpros@gmail.com to share your perspective.
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