First - what is "accountability"?
Accountability is a competency, or attribute. Attributes can be developed, and over time someone's collection of attributes define their strengths, weaknesses, and overall leadership styles.
What does it really mean for sales leaders to "ensure accountability"?
It means that you, sales leaders, need to say things, and then do those things you said. It's actually, really, quite that simple. And surprisingly, it's also 100% in your control...which is a rarity in sales.
Again. You say something. Then you do something or some things. Then you either 1) deliver on what you said (great), or 2) you don't deliver on what you said for whatever reason (not as great, but still ok). Then you acknowledge what happened by talking about it with others.
What matters isn't the result itself (deliver / not deliver), but how you talk about the result in relation to your actions.
Rule #1 - you always own it. Regardless of "did I deliver, or not?", your behavior doesn't change. You.own.the.outcome.
So, HOW do you own the outcome? Use your words (verbal is ideal, text is fine too) and acknowledge the current state. Out loud. To other people. This might include summarizing went well, and definitely includes apologizing when things didn't.
To do this well, you have to be purposeful in how you communicate. It's actually one of the few good use cases for the "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them" method. You gotta make sure you're breaking down what you're saying into very simple, short sentences. No fluff, no context...just the truth of the matter, good or bad. Your goal is to communicate to others that you accurately recognize what happened and your role in it.
Rule #2: you own it early, quickly, and often relative to the timing of the good or bad results. This is the linchpin. Embracing accountability not only fosters trust and respect, but also is more likely to result in high performance and success. For real.
So, HOW do you embrace accountability? Model the behavior you want to see in others. Hold yourself responsible for meeting commitments, big and small, by calling out (using your words, in meetings, with other people) when you DO and DON'T meet those commitments. For me, I intentionally practiced calling out every single "failure" I had until I wasn't uncomfortable anymore. This took all of two days. It was easy to practice because we all fail, all the time. We miss deadlines, we have great intentions, and life happens. Sometimes (most of the time?) we're failing to meet our own high standards that we set for ourselves...but that's a whole different thing for a different day.
Try saying things like:
I messed up...
I forgot...
I didn't...
I couldn't...
...followed by a sincere "I'm sorry".
Rule #3: Ask "Did you do this?" at least once a day. Start simple - get in the habit of asking direct reports "Did you do this?" in follow-up to something they told you they were going to get done. Think deal progression, admin work, prospecting, pipeline cleanup, internal follow-up, etc. Then ask point blank "did you do XYZ?"... pause...wait for their answer.
You'll learn A LOT about someone's current skill level level around taking accountability by LISTENING to how they answer "no" to the "did you do this?" question. Are they apologizing, making excuses, changing the subject, missing the question entirely? Are they thinking ahead, problem solving, coming up with an alternative to try? How they answer tells you where to coach them towards embracing Rule #1 and Rule #2 above.
Why is ensuring accountability such an important attribute for sales leaders to embody?
- When you take responsibility (especially over really important things), this act alone inspires confidence in others
- Others recognize your commitment to achieving a positive outcome
- When you demonstrate the same level of accountability for a failed strategy as you do for a successful one, this signals to others that you stand by your decisions
- This builds and reinforces trust and respect from your team and peers, which anyone who has ever managed a team of people before knows is paramount
When your team trusts and respects you as their leader, they'll respond infinitely better when you hold them accountable for their own actions. (Hello deal reviews, pipeline reviews, coaching sessions, feedback on their activity and metrics, QBRs, PIPs, performance reviews, promos, etc). And they'll be less likely to call you a micromanager.
You'll be better teed up to ask your reps more pointed questions about their behavior - why they did or did not do something - and to have better conversations to uncover root issues preventing things from getting done.
...which, my friends, is how ensuring accountability positions you to "focus on performance". You've got to get your team to do the things they say they're going to do, to drive results. Like more closed won revenue.
"Accountability turns a team of individuals into a great team." – David Soucie
