Encouraging accountability within your team is one of the best things you can do within your team, as this will help you improve overall performance and achieve your business goals. Moreover, it can be an effective way to support your employees in achieving their full potential. It’s crucial to start by establishing an organisational culture, which promotes accountability, autonomy, and growth.
Thankfully, with the right steps you can drive your business forward and keep your team focused on what is ahead. Below we have compiled a list of some of the most important strategies that you can use to foster accountability and ensure that your employees can reach their full potential.
Assign Clear Responsibilities From The Start
Firstly, it’s crucial to define what people are responsible for so that they know what is expected of them each day. For example, it might be beneficial to go through each employee’s duties and ensure that they feel comfortable performing all of their tasks. You can also help each team member further by setting individualised and measurable goals. Remember to connect them to your wider organisational goals, which will help employees better understand their role in the business and how their contributions can make a positive difference.
Create Autonomy
Creating autonomy is vital for success, so you should look at different ways to encourage your team to take ownership of their progress. For example, it can be a good idea to implement objectives and key results, which can be transformative for your organisation. Take a look at the benefits of setting OKRs and the importance of OKR planning. Thanks to 1ovmany, you can get help with OKR implementation through their training opportunities and e-learning options. In addition, the OKR consultants at 1ovmany can assist you in creating and communicating an OKR-based strategy. This way, everyone will have personal accountability for their objectives, so they will be more motivated to achieve them.
Lead By Example
Accountability always starts at the top, so it’s more important than ever to lead by example. If you don’t show employees that you take ownership, you can’t expect them to be accountable. This means that when a problem arises, you should be the first one to take responsibility and speak up about what can be done next. As a result, your employees will know what steps they need to take when faced with challenges. It’s also essential to communicate openly and frequently with employees, which will make them more comfortable when it comes to addressing concerns.
Prioritise Growth And Development
Employees should feel supported to grow and develop in a variety of ways. Therefore, you should strive to provide them with plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and build on their existing ones. This will increase their motivation to succeed, inspiring them to give their best at all times. You may also notice that they will take accountability for their development and all you will need to do is offer them the right tools and support.
A few key things that you may want to focus on are:
Improve Employee Engagement
Engaged employees are more likely to reach their full potential, so it’s advisable to figure out how you can increase employee engagement within your organisation. It can be beneficial to give each employee individual attention, as you might not be able to identify an approach which works for everyone. Remember to listen to employees’ concerns and show them their views are important, as this will make them feel valued. Moreover, it can be a good idea to foster closer connections at work by organising social events or team-building activities.
Provide Updates And Feedback
You should never keep employees in the dark, as this can make them lose trust in management. Make sure you provide them with regular updates on any changes that you are due to implement, as well as feedback on their performance. This will help you develop a stronger relationship with them and ensure they can have a rewarding employee experience. When providing feedback, it’s important to be specific by delivering your thoughts in clear and concise terms to avoid confusion.
Recognise Progress
Rewards and recognition have always been effective tools in celebrating success and increasing employee engagement. For example, if an employee has gone above and beyond to deliver great results, you should acknowledge their efforts and hard work. It can be a good idea to thank employees for demonstrating commitment and accountability or share their success stories on social media.
Remember to mention how they showed accountability and how this impacted the organisation’s overall success. When considering employees for promotion, you can also include accountability as a key criteria, which will show your team that this a crucial part of the company culture.
