Raising the level of accountability in a team is an essential element of sustained performance. The lack of accountability is fully displayed when deadlines slip, excuses fly, blame is cast, or results disappear. Other times it’s hidden in a cloud of complacency or a lot of words without actions.
Feedback is sharing information about a person’s performance which is used as a basis for improvement. Delivering disapproval or expressing the need for someone else to change is no easy task.
A team, by definition, is a group of individuals working together to achieve a goal. While the explanation is simple, almost everyone has been a part of a group that wasn’t working to achieve a shared goal. This is precisely where many managers fail. They assume that because of their position, they lead a team, and this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Skill development is a never-ending process. Not only do the great ones in any field recognize this, but they have a borderline obsession to develop and improve their skills daily.
Being a humble leader pays off in the performance category, but what’s most remarkable is the vast majority of humble leaders have every reason, because of their accomplishments to reject humility, but instead they embrace it.
Research for the SkillsLoft assessment has shown accountability is one of the top 4 weakest leadership competencies in managers, only behind listening, empathy and communication.
Nobody starts out wanting to be a bad leader. Yet ego-driven, power-hungry, micromanaging, absent-minded managers and executives are prevalent in organizations.
While retaining top talent is vitally important, it’s also critical for organizations to promote people into positions of leadership that can drive performance and make a positive impact on the people they get the opportunity to lead.
If someone isn’t the right fit for your team or organization, and you keep them in a position, you not only hurt them, but you hurt the team.
Sure there are many possible factors that can cause a team to underperform. These are just a few: lack of talent, talented people not meeting their potential, changes in the market, or a lack of resources. Still, ultimately, one person is responsible, the leader.
