More than 75% of CEOs agree great results are best supported by accountability. However, the same group also identified the most significant challenge is to create and sustain a culture with accountability at its core.

Building that culture requires everyone to agree on the intersection between acceptable performance and the desired culture. Identifying that intersection can be complex or straightforward, but only you can decide what is right for your firm.

This may sound easy to accomplish, but I have found not all accounting and advisory firms can successfully create a culture grounded in accountability. While some have found success with the “carrot versus the stick” approach and reviewing ROI beyond the typical accounting firm metrics, others become stuck in what they see as an exhausting process with aspirations that are never implemented or a process-oriented strategy that is not practically applied.

The end goal is to produce highly engaged professionals who drive themselves and your firm to new heights. But how do you achieve that?

Take the ‘Meanness’ Out of ‘Accountability’

For one reason or another, many professionals don’t like the “A” word. Those same professionals also (probably) mistakenly use accountability and responsibility interchangeably. Understanding the difference between the two terms can help firms build the right culture.

  • Responsibility is the obligation to perform a task or duty (ownership of task)
  • Accountability is being responsible for the completion of the task or duty regardless of who was responsible (making sure a task is done)

The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability, written by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman, states, “accountable team members are proactive in spotting performance gaps impeding key results … practicing creative problem-solving to develop solutions and following through with the execution of effective solutions. By reframing accountability in actionable terms, leaders provide all employees with the confidence and commitment necessary to drive performance.”

Firms ready to make accountability the core of their culture must set the strategy to flow from the top down through leadership, partners, and team members. Those at the top of the corporate strategy must ensure goals are clearly communicated and understood by all team members, then embraced. The focus then turns to each person’s relationship to the strategy and goals by asking how they can best execute their part of the strategy and achieve the goals.

What You Need

A two-way dialogue is critical at this phase. When setting goals and establishing accountability, let your team members take the first pass at strategic thinking. This will go a long way to having them buy in to the process and claim ownership. Then, once the goals are set, ensure there’s a mutual understanding and, as a leader, show your support to help them remain accountable and meet – or even exceed – expectations.

This goes without saying, but consistently following performance expectations in your work practices and encouraging follow-through on commitments in a timely manner will help support your efforts. Have patience and accept responsibility for outcomes.

Like many other situations, you will need to determine the best accountability leader for your team members. The stronger the leader’s personal commitment to accountability, the more success the organization will see. As a leader, there are five “must-haves” to support a culture of accountability: leadership, clarity, alignment, communication, and humility.

Once those leaders are in place, they’ll need to embrace a motivational leadership style to support a culture of accountability. That includes:

  • Celebrating successes
  • Acknowledging failures, then learning from them, and moving on
  • Being creative to sustain a high level of accountability
  • Leading by example
  • Being consistent, yet being yourself and, above all else, accountable.

What to Expect

I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but not everyone will share your enthusiasm. My observations show you’ll be surprised by who does and does not embrace this new culture of accountability. The clearer your firm strategy, the more success you will have. The more ambiguous, the more of a challenge it will become.

It’s easy to spend time on “systems and processes” and miss the purpose of the effort, so don’t make exceptions for anyone, as they will lead to systemic failure. Firms that have developed a successful culture based on accountability have done so by identifying:

  • What distinguishes their efforts
  • Their biggest challenges
  • Their intersection of culture and performance
  • Highest and best use of individual team members
  • How frequently they change what they are doing to achieve goals
  • How they keep it “fresh”

Key Takeaway

No one said building a culture of accountability is easy, but it’s rewarding work that will benefit you, your firm, and, maybe most importantly, your clients. Doing so empowers everyone on your team to have a stake in the progress and success while achieving goals and growth together efficiently and effectively.

How are you creating and adjusting your firm’s culture to gain the accountability advantage?