Accountable Leaders

CHAPTER 5Leadership Accountability at the Team Level

Take a moment and recall the best team experience you have ever had. Remember what it felt like to be part of that team. Now recall the worst team experience: What did it feel like being part of that team? What differences do you notice between the two experiences? When I’ve asked these questions of other leaders, here are some of the most common responses. In the great team experiences:

• Everyone was clear and aligned with what needed to get done.
• Each team member was accountable, pulled their weight, and went to great lengths to support one another.
• Everyone felt safe challenging one another and confronting issues head-on without fear.
• Team members leveraged the unique capabilities of everyone.
• Everyone worked hard but also managed to have fun and celebrate success.

In contrast, terrible team experiences are likely to be ones where:

• Team members are misaligned and work at cross-purposes to one another.
• Everyone works in isolation and demonstrates little support or trust.
• The team avoids critical conversations because no one feels safe enough to speak up or cares about the team’s success.
• Not everyone pulls their weight, creating frustration and resentment.
• Everyone is cynical and negative, thereby creating conflict and tension on the team.

While we desire to work on great teams, most people I talk to admit that they have had more experience working on terrible and dreadful teams. We must do better. Now here’s the challenge ...