Accountability
Kip Price, Founder
•06/29/22
Like many others across the United States, I've been gutted by the recent set of Supreme Court decisions that put millions of people across the country at risk. And also like many others, I feel pretty helpless to do much about the decisions that walk back decades of healthcare and rights.
I don't know how to hold the Supreme Court accountable to the pain and devastation their decision will bring. But, I do know some ways to hold accountability within organizations. I'm going to channel my frustration at the national scale into sharing the strategies that have worked for me small scale.
People hold different definitions of accountability, so I'll start with my own.
To be accountable is to take responsibility for the actions or inactions you have taken, and accept any consequences that may follow.
In my experience, when you mention accountability, most folks' minds leap to fireable offenses -- that's definitely a form of accountability, and well-justified in cases where someone is harming another. But I believe accountability is something we see in smaller scales every day, in the apologies we make to each other, or in the steps we take to fix a broken process.
Accountability doesn't only apply to negative behaviors or situations; it can also be a guide for the actions you should take. For example, most organizations in the United States are accountable to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which ensures people with disabilities do not face discrimination. This accountability guides organizations to make decisions that support people with different abilities and needs -- and sets consequences for organizations that do not follow that guidance.
Holding Others Accountable
It can be incredibly frustrating to be in a position where the managers or leaders who you work closely with are not held accountable to their actions. Mistakes or missteps ripple much farther when someone is in a leadership role, but the power dynamics can make it harder for the consequences of that action to be enforced. Luckily, there are some strategies that can be used to keep leaders across your organization accountable.
Give feedback. Sometimes, all it takes to address an unwanted action or inaction is sharing that it is unwanted. Managers and leaders are neither omniscient nor infallible, and the limits of their knowledge can often result in mistakes they don't know they're making. Sharing your perspective can be enough for strong leaders to immediately take accountability.
If direct feedback to the individual isn't working (or isn't an option), you may want to try escalating your feedback to the individual's manager. Most organizations have systems for raising this type of indirect feedback (if your organization doesn't, this is one of the areas Skippering is focused!).
Effective indirect feedback. The individual's manager has more ability to ensure the individual is held accountable, but may not have enough context to know what accountability should look like. If you end up providing feedback anonymously, it helps if you can provide context about what change you'd like to see coming out of the feedback; then the manager can be specific about next steps for their direct report to demonstrate accountability.
Take collective action. If you find that your voice isn't getting heard (or you're worried about retribution), escalating as part of a group can ensure that the feedback is taken more seriously and the burden doesn't rest on just your shoulders. This is particularly effective when multiple people share your concerns.1 Collective action can take a variety of forms, with some common ones being open letters to the organization, group complaints raised to the HR team, and strikes; in all cases, there is power in numbers, and your action can end up ensuring the individual is held accountable to changing.2
Vote with your feet. If you've tried escalating in all the ways you're comfortable, but still aren't seeing the accountability you expect, choosing to leave the organization is a powerful signal that something needs to change. In this case, you won't get the benefit of seeing that accountability come to bear, but your commitment may end up improving the lives of your former colleagues.
Taking Accountability
On the flip-side, taking accountability can be an excellent way to demonstrate leadership and build trust, even if you're not in a formal leadership position. I view accountability as the natural counterpart to integrity, which is one of the two core values I expect of leaders and managers.3 Owning your actions demonstrates that you practice what you preach, and that you can be trusted by your peers and your team.
I follow a simple formula when presented with a situation where I hold myself accountable: recognize, address, and confirm.
Recognize. Understand what expectations you are responsible for, and if applicable, own up to the mistakes that you've made in that regard. This may occur entirely in private, but if there were mistakes made that affected other people, an apology is usually in order.
Apologies. Though not a panacea, apologies are an incredibly impactful way to take accountability for missteps you may have taken. An apology doesn't remove the need for the addressing and confirming stages, but it starts demonstrating your commitment to accountability. A lot of the time, a mistake paired with an apology can garner more trust than not making mistakes at all.
However, this does not discount the advice received by many women, non-binary folks, and people of color that cautions apologies can hold you back in the business world -- that can still depressingly be true, depending on your organization and status within it. You will have the best context to understand whether your apology will work for or against you.
Address. Start planning for the steps you need to take in order to meet the expectations to which you are held. If there are actions you can take right now, take them. For everything else, set a timeline for when they can be addressed.
Confirm. Verify with anyone who has a stake in your accountability that your plan is appropriate. Continue checking in as you complete the less-immediate elements of the plan to see if there are changes that need to be made.
It can feel daunting to take accountability, especially if your organization doesn't have a lot of examples of accountable leaders, but the trust you gain makes it much easier for you and your team to accomplish great things.
Larger Scale
Though I have no avenues to hold the Supreme Court accountable, I do have the ability and opportunity (and, in my eyes, obligation) to vote. If you aren't registered to vote but are able to do so, I strongly encourage getting registered so your voice can be heard. Without accountability, we're doomed to continue seeing our representatives make choices that don't reflect the majority of people across the United States -- voting is one of the most powerful tools we have to hold that accountability.