How would you hold people accountable if you didn’t have authority? Don’t demand what must be given.
Coercion doesn’t produce ownership.
Accountability isn’t the cure for low commitment; it’s an expression of high commitment.
The Hammer Principle
Maslow said, “… if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”
When a leader’s hammer is authority, holding people accountable is a nail.
Short-sighted leaders use authority to force compliance, but pressure doesn’t build commitment.
Commitment can’t be demanded; responsibility can’t be coerced.
Accountability Isn’t
- Forced compliance.
- Pressuring people.
- Overcoming pushback with fear.
Ownership is self-imposed. You can’t force or manipulate ownership.
Accountability without Authority
- Responsibility only works when people share commitments. Explore commitment when follow-through is low. The uncommitted can be coerced, but they don’t feel accountable.
- Ask, “On a scale of 1 to 10 how committed are you to ….?” When the number is less than “7”, failure is about commitment.
- Agree on ownership, don’t impose it. My coaching clients establish their own responsibilities. I ask them, “What do you want me to ask you next time?”
- Connect accountability to purpose.
Create environments where responsibilities are co-created. Explore the path forward together.
Force invites resistance; pressure sparks compliance but extinguishes passion.
How can leaders build follow-through into organizations?
What makes responsibility work?
Read The Vagrant to take your leadership to the next level.
