Leadership meeting : Understanding why accountability drops
Accountability isn’t always effectively upheld because it can feel aggressive for both the person being held accountable and the manager. For the person being questioned, it can feel like an inquisition, leading to anxiety and defensiveness. On the other hand, managers may find it stressful to ask probing questions, clarify commitments, and deliver feedback. In order to effectively tackle these challenges, it is essential to determine the connection between feedback and accountability.
Teams require accountability & feedback
To effectively hold people accountable, you, as a leader, must also excel at providing feedback. Let’s briefly distinguish between these two processes:
Having Somebody to Account
This involves asking probing questions about past actions, decisions, and events. It helps expose thought processes and increase awareness. When holding someone at the workplace to account, be mindful of WHAT, WHEN, and HOW! You can consider asking questions like:
- What were you trying to accomplish?
- What choices did you consider?
- What drove your decision?
- What really happened?
- How did you respond?
- When did this happen?
- What did you realize?
- How would you do things differently?
These queries help to reveal the thought process behind actions, which can lead to insights and professional growth. However, for accountability to be effective, commitments must be clear, whether explicit or implicit.
Accountability loop
Keeping commitments helps evaluate an executive’s diligence and competence. If commitments aren’t kept, managers should ensure the right people are in the right roles. And still, things won’t fall in place; consider executive coaching programs to help you flourish and improve your workspace ambiance.
Giving Somebody Feedback
Feedback refers to providing your reaction to past actions, decisions, and events. It should be specific, depersonalized, and delivered with the recipient’s openness in mind.
The SBI model
Constructive feedback is essential for growth but must be specific, depersonalized, and well-received. The SBI model (Situation, Behavior, Impact) is a helpful framework here:
Situation: Specify when the observed behavior occurred.
Behavior: Describe the behavior or action observed.
Impact: Explain the effect of the behavior on you or the team.
And when it comes to ensure feedback is well-received, consider these three prerequisites are met:
- Make it specific rather than generalized.
- Depersonalize it, focusing on behavior, not character.
- Ask for permission to give feedback to set the stage for a productive conversation.
Another way to facilitate honest feedback is to ask permission to give specific feedback on a non-personal topic. Here’s how you can do this;
“May I offer you some personalized feedback on the subject of (topic)?”
Although it’s not necessary to ask every time, this can be a helpful way to initiate a feedback conversation. While your position may imply that you’ll provide feedback, clarifying the topic and requesting permission can lead to a more productive conversation. Use this approach if it works for you, but don’t feel obligated to do so. If you feel like adding more skills and learning how to handle these situations, don’t hesitate to be a part of leadership development coaching. It really helps!
Leadership meeting : Adaption to accountability & feedback
Understandably, starting accountability or feedback conversations can be challenging for managers, but below here are a host of ways to initiate these discussions:
“I noticed (factual observation). Is everything alright?”
“I noticed (factual observation) happening a few moments now! What is the pattern that we should be looking for?”
“Do you have a few minutes to spare? Let’s dive into [initiative] with me?”
Questions like this can act as an effective starting point and allow the person to share information that you might not have considered!
The Conclusion
Improving your leadership meetings demands the development of strong accountability and feedback skills! Normalizing the above-mentioned practices and approaching them with the right mindset can foster a culture of growth and continuous improvement in your leadership.
Moreover, you can always rely on our leadership coaching services to build a strong leadership foundation and handle the meetings like a breeze. We at CoachYZ help leaders like you have the power to make your goals a reality. Want to learn a new leadership skill? Let’s talk!
