Episode 36: The Accountability Gap: What Leaders Can Do Differently | 12MinuteLeadership

In this week's episode, we dig into how to build real accountability by starting with self-leadership, making expectations unmistakably clear, and holding fair, calm performance conversations. We also explore peer accountability and the hidden costs of letting poor behavior slide.

• self-leadership as the foundation of credibility
• clarity of roles, outcomes, and checkpoints
• inspect what you expect through regular check-ins
• documentation that supports fairness and advocacy
• moving toward hard conversations with calm scripts
• establishing safe protocols for peer accountability
• the cultural cost of avoiding accountability

Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper?Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode.

You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon.

Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals.
From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results.

Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.

Transcript

Defining Accountability And Self-Leadership

Tip 1: Clarity Before Accountability

Tip 2: Track Performance And Progress

Tip 3: Face Performance Conversations

Tip 4: Hold Peers Accountable

Tip 5: The Cost Of Avoidance

Closing And Next Steps

Subscribe, Book, And Website

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Fogges Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to trade compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now. Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome back to the podcast. There is a word that comes up in almost every leadership conversation I have. The word is accountability. Leaders often tell me, my team just isn't accountable, people don't meet expectations, I feel like I'm carrying everything. And while that frustration is very real, there's often a piece of the picture that leaders don't realize they have influence over. So today's episode is not about shaming leaders for what isn't happening. It's about empowering you with where your influence actually is when it comes to accountability. Because accountability is not just something you demand from others, it's something you build into your leadership. In my experience, I've learned that accountability starts with self-leadership. It's very difficult to hold others accountable if you don't keep promises to yourself. Leaders sometimes fall into one of two traps. I'm not perfect at this, so who am I to hold them accountable? Or the opposite. Do as I say, not as I do. In other words, you need to be on time, meet deadlines, and communicate when you're out of the office, but I don't have to because I'm the boss. Leadership is not about perfection, but great leaders hold themselves to the same standards they hold others to. And when they miss the mark, they own it. That consistency builds credibility, and credibility makes accountability feel fair, not oppressive. Tip number one is clarity before accountability. This one is huge. Many leaders expect competent people to just know what's expected. But when expectations aren't clear, people don't fail because they're incapable. They fail because the target is invisible. Leaders must take the time to clearly define what the role is responsible for and what meeting expectations actually looks like. And then this is the key. Inspect what you expect. One of my favorite phrases as a coach, consultant, trainer is inspect what you expect. That means checking in regularly, offering feedback, and providing support, resources, or training. Many leaders tell me I shouldn't have to do this or I don't have the time for this. But a small investment in clarity saves massive time later in frustration, rework, and turnover. And it builds stronger relationships because your people feel supported, not set up to fail. Tip number two, track performance in progress. If you haven't documented performance conversations, it becomes very difficult to make fair decisions later. This applies both to underperformers and high performers. So keep short, dated notes. Be honest and clear with people along the way. Because if someone isn't improving, you need clarity. And if someone is excelling, you need evidence to advocate for them. Documentation isn't about building a case against people, it's about building clarity for people. And tip number three, know yourself. Do you tend to avoid performance conversations or move towards them confidently? Most leaders I know avoid them. Why? Because they feel uncomfortable, they don't want to hurt people's feelings, and they hope things will improve on their own. But avoiding these conversations doesn't create kindness. It creates confusion. And confusion erodes accountability. The more comfortable you become having clear, calm, respectful performance conversations, the stronger your accountability culture becomes. So the important skill here is really to become self-aware as a leader where you fall and get the skills that you need to enter into these conversations confidently. Tip number four can be a touchy one. Hold your peers accountable. This is a hard one. It's much easier to hold someone accountable who reports to you. Much harder when it's a peer or another senior leader. But you have to ask yourself: does my discomfort outweigh the damage being done to others? When organizations don't have peer accountability, they unintentionally create a cover-up culture. And that's when trust starts to erode. Healthy organizations create protocols where leaders can hold each other accountable safely and respectfully. And finally, tip number five: the cost of avoiding accountability. When toxic behavior or weak performance isn't addressed, the whole team feels it, high performers get discouraged, trust and leadership erodes, and your stated values stop matching reality. Nothing undermines culture faster than saying we value accountability while allowing certain people to get a free pass. People are always watching what leaders tolerate, because what you tolerate becomes your culture. So in closing, if accountability has felt frustrating to you as a leader, I hope today's episode gave you something different. Not blame, not pressure, but clarity around where your influence actually is. Because accountability isn't something you enforce, it's something you build. And next time, we're going to go deeper into how to confidently have performance conversations that strengthen accountability instead of damaging relationships. I'll see you then. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.elitesbox.com for more info.