{"id":112891,"date":"2023-09-10T17:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=112891"},"modified":"2023-09-13T09:18:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T13:18:30","slug":"avoidance-of-accountability-in-a-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/avoidance-of-accountability-in-a-team\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Overcome the Avoidance of Accountability in a Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How much do people get away with on your team? Which is more effective\u2014accountability from managers or colleagues?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patrick Lencioni addresses the issue of accountability in both of his books about team dysfunctions, identifying the avoidance of accountability<\/a> as the fourth dysfunction. He says that it’s much easier to call people out on results than behaviors, but the latter is far more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading for Lencioni’s advice on overcoming the avoidance of accountability in a team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Accountability in a Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lencioni explains that accountability involves team members\u2014including the team leader\u2014holding each other responsible for their behavior and their results. It can be uncomfortable<\/a>, but the avoidance of accountability in a team inevitably leads to poor performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding people accountable<\/a> for their results is easy. If there are clear expectations regarding, say, sales numbers or company profits, it\u2019s easy to tell when someone isn\u2019t meeting them. In that case, there needs to be a conversation about why they\u2019re falling short and how to address the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lencioni says it\u2019s much more uncomfortable to hold people accountable for their day-to-day behavior. But, it\u2019s just as important because behavior leads directly to results;<\/strong> by correcting behaviors, you can stop poor results from happening in the first place. For example, if one of your team members seems disengaged or hostile during team meetings, that bad behavior might also come through when they\u2019re talking to customers<\/a>, thereby harming sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accountability Through the \u201cWhat Happened\u201d Conversation<\/strong>

Holding people accountable, whether for their behaviors or their outcomes, often requires uncomfortable and difficult conversations. It may help to have a plan for handling these discussions. 

In Difficult Conversations<\/em><\/a>, the authors call this the \u201cwhat happened\u201d conversation, and they explain how to approach it productively<\/a>. The key to a successful \u201cwhat happened\u201d conversation is to approach it with curiosity instead of judgment. Your goal should be to find out what\u2019s wrong\u2014in this case, to find the cause of the team member\u2019s poor behavior or poor performance\u2014not to accuse or shame the other person. 

To learn what the problem is, start by explaining your perspective: The team member isn\u2019t meeting expectations, or they\u2019re engaging in a concerning behavior. Then, show curiosity by asking for the other person\u2019s perspective on why the issue is happening. For example, they might reveal that a problem in their personal life is distracting them at work or that they\u2019re having problems with another team member. Then, the two of you can work together to figure out the best way to address that problem. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Overcome the Avoidance of Accountability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Lencioni, to help your team overcome their fear of holding each other accountable, you must first help them realize that it\u2019s really the fear of hurting each other. <\/strong>Accountability is personal\u2014as a result, calling out your teammates\u2019 shortcomings often feels judgmental and unkind. This holds true for the team leader and team members alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you understand where this dysfunction comes from, you can start taking steps to overcome it. Specifically, change your team\u2019s mindset: Explain that failing to hold each other accountable is much more harmful than the brief discomfort of a difficult conversation.<\/strong> Holding back criticism doesn\u2019t just harm the company\u2014it also robs team members of the chance to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lencioni adds that the most effective type of accountability is between teammates. <\/strong>This is because criticism feels more personal and more meaningful when it comes from a peer instead of from \u201cthe boss\u201d (the team leader), who\u2019s in a position where giving feedback and criticism is just part of their job. Therefore, overcoming the avoidance of accountability\u2014empowering team members to give each other <\/em>feedback\u2014is more effective than any feedback the leader could give personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In No Rules Rules<\/em><\/a>, Netflix co-founder and executive chairman Reed Hastings says that the best way to make sure people feel comfortable giving (and getting) feedback is to create a company culture<\/a> where anyone can give feedback to anyone else, at any time<\/a>. This eliminates the uncertainty about whether and when it\u2019s acceptable to give someone negative feedback. It also helps minimize the power dynamic that Lencioni notes, where feedback from \u201cthe boss\u201d doesn\u2019t feel as meaningful or as personal as feedback from a peer. In this case, feedback from a peer will be just as common as feedback from the manager or team leader, so one won\u2019t feel any more personal or unusual than the other.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding Back Criticism Is a Lie by Omission<\/strong>

Another way to help your team push through their avoidance of accountability is to share that holding back important criticism is the same thing as lying. Specifically, it\u2019s a lie by omission<\/a>, since you\u2019re pretending everything is OK when it actually isn\u2019t, and that people don\u2019t need to improve when they do. Lies by omission are just as hurtful as actually saying something untrue, even if you\u2019re trying to protect someone else\u2019s feelings by withholding your feedback.

Furthermore, just like any other type of lie, lies by omission quickly erode trust\u2014teammates need to trust each other to tell the whole<\/em> truth, not just the positive parts of it. So, even though a person might just be trying to keep their teammate happy, they could be doing serious harm to the team as a whole, and, by extension, the company.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How much do people get away with on your team? Which is more effective\u2014accountability from managers or colleagues? Patrick Lencioni addresses the issue of accountability in both of his books about team dysfunctions, identifying the avoidance of accountability as the fourth dysfunction. He says that it’s much easier to call people out on results than behaviors, but the latter is far more important. Continue reading for Lencioni’s advice on overcoming the avoidance of accountability in a team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":45294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,14,30],"tags":[1261],"class_list":["post-112891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-management","category-work","tag-overcoming-the-five-dysfunctions-of-a-team","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Overcome the Avoidance of Accountability in a Team - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The avoidance of accountability in a team will lead to poor performance. 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