Accountability

Accountability. How to encourage it without shame, guilt, or playing games. This is what we're going to be talking about today on how to lead the podcast for CEOs, founders, and leaders who want to find that perfect balance of empathy and authority. My name's Kate Waterfall Hill, and I'll be sharing some ideas from over 30 years of working in business and leadership development.

Before we kick off, little reminder to check out my website, waterfall hill.co.uk, where you can find details of my book, How to Lead that accompanies this podcast my one-to-one, my group and my team coaching.

Thanks to the success of this podcast, I'm in demand, so places are strictly limited and sell out each month. So book now for yourself or your team. Today's topic is accountability, and before you groan, I don't mean the old school who messed this up, kind of accountability that Linda might enjoy. It isn't about shame, but it is about clarity, ownership, and trust.

Done right. Accountability is what makes work flow more smoothly. It builds respect, strengthens collaboration, and helps people do their best work. And let's face it, get stuff done, done badly. It becomes a game of finger pointing, avoidance, or quiet resentment.

So in this episode, we'll explore how to create a culture of healthy accountability without micromanaging, guilt, tripping, or putting people on the spot. Let's start, as always with Linda, our unofficial mascot for questionable leadership choices. My alter ego on social media.

“I just wish I could get people to take more accountability. I mean, I don't want to name and shame, but some people really need to take responsibility for their tasks. I mean, even if he didn't actually know it was his task and that he was supposed to be in charge, or what the consequence would be if he didn't get it done, but he should have said something, you know, even if he thought he was gonna get into trouble.

Well, especially then actually thinking about it. I mean, that's what accountability looks like, isn't it? People have gotta step up, own it. I think I'm gonna name shame him in the team meeting actually. Now come to think of it. Yeah. I need to set an example that people need to take accountability. Sure.

Yeah. That's that.”

Typical Linda, I'm not naming names. She says, well, definitely naming names. The Master of Vague Blame and whispered side eye. Let's talk about what accountability actually looks like. First of all, what is it?

Well, what I mean by accountability It's basically when somebody follows through on what they said they do and they own the outcome, good or bad. But it's not the same as blame, and it's certainly not punishment. It's definitely not about putting people under pressure for things they can't control.

Accountability is about clarity of expectations, ownership of responsibilities. That's a really important part. Also the willingness to course correct when they see something that's not quite right, they take responsibility for getting it back on track. And then there's learning from mistakes without hiding or deflecting. It's really the glue between autonomy and performance. It's really hard to have one without the other for too long.

So why does it matter so much? Accountability is really important because when it's strong, projects move faster. Teams trust each other more. Fewer things fall through the cracks. Also, feedback is easier to give and receive because you've got that relationship and people take pride in their work.

And importantly, the work gets done to the right quality and the timescales you expected. But when it's weak. Well, everything becomes slower and heavier. Deadlines drift. Meetings get a bit vague.

Everyone's sort of responsible, but nobody's really on the hook. Tension tends to build quietly. That resentment I talked about, and then shoulders get sloppy. You know, if you ask if a project is on track and the reply is, uh, yeah, uh, well, uh, yeah, sorry. Things have slipped again. that's probably because there's no accountability.

And what do we do as leaders? Well, we often tend to pick up the slack, not because we want to, But the alternative is watching things stall. So if you've ever heard yourself say, why do I always end up chasing people? Or why don't they just own it and run with it, then yes, this episode is for you.

Let's examine what healthy accountability actually looks like in a high accountability environment. People are really clear on what's expected and they know what success looks like. They can follow through or raise their hand early if they can't, and if things go wrong, they talk about it.

And if they need help, they ask. You don't need to hound them, you don't need to rescue them. You just need to keep the lines of communication open.

As always, it's not about perfection, it is about responsibility, transparency, and action.

Here are some of the most common reasons why teams struggle with accountability, and when I see it breaking down, Firstly, vague expectations. If people don't know what done looks like or what success might be like, they find it really hard to deliver against your expectations because that ambiguity tends to kill ownership. Secondly, if there's a lack of autonomy, if, if they feel like they've got no real control, they won't feel accountable.

They'll just feel like a cog in the machine. Thirdly, a fear of blame because if past mistakes were punished harshly, people tend to learn to keep their heads down.

Number four is often there are no feedback loops because if no one ever follows up, what's the incentive to follow through?

If there doesn't seem to be any impact of non-delivery, then why bother? And then you've got poor modelling from leadership. If you regularly move the goalposts, miss your own deadlines, or don't acknowledge when you've dropped the ball, your team notices. So how do you build accountability without pressure or shame?

I've got some ideas for you here that you could start doing this week to build healthy accountability across your team, peers, and even stakeholders. First of all, be clear upfront. Don't assume people know what you mean by just sort this out. Will you or look into it or keep me updated?

Instead, ask, what does success look like? Who's doing what by when? How will we know when it's done? And what will we do if something changes? A clear brief beats a vague one every time.

One of the biggest shifts I see is actually assigning ownership, not just the tasks. So move from who is doing this to who owns this. Ownership means someone is thinking about the bigger picture. They're chasing the dependencies. They're communicating updates. They're flagging risks early because they know it's on them.

Even if people are helping you with delivery, you need to have a clear point of contact who feels a sense of stewardship. even if they're working alongside other people in the team, they need to know exactly what they're owning and what they need to steward, as it were.

What's in their control, but also what's in their area of responsibility.

Then there's your job as leader is to know what's going on. But rather than checking up on people all the time, try using check-in language instead.

So if you're chasing a colleague or team member, the tone really matters. So how's it going with X? Anything you need from me? How are you finding the timing still on track? What's the latest on that project? Want to talk it through. It's collaborative rather than controlling.

The other thing I talk about in the episode of how to Lead Where I talk about delegation is to have an appointment to check in. So rather than being tempted to look over somebody's shoulder or send them a quick teams or slack message every five minutes saying, Hey, just check in, in, how's it going?

Just hold back on that. Have an agreed schedule of meetings, and it's more likely that the other person won't feel micromanaged. the goal isn't to catch people out, it's to support progress.

Then people have got to know about the consequences. They need to be real, but fair.

Accountability means that people need to take responsibility for the stuff that you've allocated to them. But the consequences don't have to mean a public naming and shaming. So you could say, this missed deadline created issues for the next team. Let's work out what we can change next time. Or, I noticed the ball got dropped on this.

What got in the way?

What do you think could be even better next time? Then decide together what needs to be corrected, what support is needed, and what will be different next time.

It's really important also to celebrate ownership. When you see it, it's easy to forget. Maybe take it for granted, but it is essential. So if someone flags a delay early, admits a mistake. Steps up and takes responsibility or just quietly gets things done without drama, say so out loud. Notice it and praise it.

It reinforces the behaviour you want and makes it feel safe to repeat.

Then this one's about you. You need to mirror what you want to see. Ask yourself, do I take responsibility when I drop the ball? Do I meet deadlines? I set, do I communicate when I'm struggling?

If not, you might find it hard to ask that of others without sounding a bit hollow. Accountability starts with leadership. It's not the title, it's about the behaviour. So what about your stakeholders or peers holding sideways relationships accountable, like senior colleagues or external partners can feel a bit tricky to navigate, but here's how to handle it without sounding pushy or passive aggressive.

So again, leading with curiosity, asking questions like, I'm interested to hear how things are going. Are you still on track for Friday? Name the shared impact. I wanted to flag that if this shifts, it'll affect the client comms timeline. Is there anything I can help unblock and be the calm one? You know, if other people are stressed or behind, really try to avoid judgment, offer support, clarify expectations, and can confirm next steps.

Keep an eye on the outcome you want to achieve. Not trying to blame somebody for not meeting your expectations thus far.

Peers are more likely to step up if they feel respected, not cornered.

I had love to give you some ideas of things you can do this week if you're ready to build more accountability into your culture. Here's a simple plan one, pick one project this week and clarify ownership. Who is responsible for what outcome and who's keeping track secondly, ask better questions.

Replace, how's it going? With what's the latest or what might get in the way? What's your next step? Number three, acknowledge responsibility when it is taken. So spot someone stepping up and say thank you. Number four, check your own behaviour. What example are you setting when it comes to follow through?

And then identify one honest conversation that you need to have If someone's letting things slip, ask why. No blame, just curiosity and clarity.

To wrap up this episode then accountability isn't about punishment. It's not about enforcement. it's about how you behave as a group. and like most leadership work, it starts with how we behave, not just what we say. So set the tone. Be clear about expectations. Invite ownership, ask useful questions.

Show your own accountability and replace judgment with support.

You probably know this already, but when people feel safe to be honest and expected to deliver, then great things can happen. That's all for today's episode of How to Lead. Until next time, don't forget. The best way to avoid being like Linda is to lead with clarity, care, and curiosity.

If you've enjoyed this episode, do follow for more leadership insights. And if you'd like my personal support, take a look at my website, waterfall hill.co uk. You'll find there all the details of my coaching programs and my book, how to Lead.

I'd be delighted if you could like leave a review and share with your fellow leaders to help spread the word about the How to Lead podcast. And one last reminder. The best leaders are clear on the vision, care about their people, and approach interactions with curiosity, not judgment.

Until next time, thanks for listening.