Three Ways to Build Accountability in Your Team

Effective teams are accountable to each other for completion of their part of projects and for communicating how initiatives stand. Here are three ways to build team accountability.

Be accountable yourself. As a leader, set the example. Commit to your teammates that certain tasks will be done by a particular date, and then follow through.

Communicate regularly. Set up a recurring team meeting (live or virtual) and/or utilize group communication tools online or via email for communicating progress. For example, I work part time for a firm and we have a weekly staff meeting where we give updates on our responsibilities. Knowing I will be giving a report can keep me motivated and help me consolidate my actions into reportable elements.

Allow flexibility...to a degree. When assigning tasks and deadlines, be reasonable and realistic. Some projects are "if we can get to this," as compared to "we must do this." If a deadline comes up and a team member gets sick, be reasonable about extending it. Your team should feel comfortable asking for flexibility from time to time, although this should not become a habit. If it does, you may need to improve on how to set a deadline effectively and build more cushion into the original plan in the first place.

In what ways have you built accountability into your team?