Accountability Conversations

Choosing to own up to a mistake at work led to an unexpected increase in engagement and ultimately generated more leads than the original email had intended.

We’ve all been there. As team leaders, we’ve tried to strike a delicate balance to keep people committed to their roles while avoiding the pitfalls of micromanagement. It’s a tough act. Micromanaging isn’t just an annoying trait, it’s a creativity killer and a way to undermine team trust. Members feel as if they are under a magnifying glass, always being second-guessed and never fully trusted.

How much accountability is too much? How do you know when you're not getting enough? It's a fine line that most leaders and managers struggle with - either by being too hands-off or too much in peoples' faces.

How leaders can give feedback on something from the past. When it has been a while, it’s not only about a potentially uncomfortable conversation but also about breaking into the jam-packed day to create a new meeting or even just a new side conversation.

Genuine apologies from leaders transform team dynamics and build trust. Be specific. What proactive action can be taken? Pay attention to feelings.

Have you ever had a conversation with your manager that started as praise and ended up with you having more work? Or, worse, feeling like the praise was a pretext, to soften a criticism, that in one form or another left you feeling that you weren’t doing enough?

This moment — this crisis, is calling on you. It’s calling on you to have real conversations with the real humans inside your organization (and beyond).

Are you the type of person who attacks the messenger? Or are you the type of person who listens, who internalizes that new information and acts on it?

Saying the words “I’m sorry” does not create accountability. It’s the way most of us avoid it. It’s a nice gesture — assuming it’s sincere — but it is at best the expression of an intention:

Most managers come to believe that gossip, politics, and bureaucracy are the way things are. And they make a decision to put their head down and try their best to get things done in spite of that dysfunction.

Being good at your job means being good at being part of a team. And being a member of a team is all about relationships.

We’ve all heard and experienced the profound truth in the phrase: What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. But what kind of stronger?

Why better relationships are important for leaders at all levels. How to build meaningful, productive, supportive, collaborative relationships.

We need feedback and reflection from our peers (and, of course, our manager if we have one) to see ourselves more clearly.