Accountability Starts With Truth

While facilitating a recent executive off site, I observed the team engage in an exercise designed to build trust and peer to peer accountability. The instruction was simple: give one another your honest perspective on ways each contributes and detracts from the team's effectiveness. The group was tense as they admitted to dreading this drill. As the leader offered to go first, the group went around and acknowledged the leader for being a good decision maker, hard working, intelligent... ”This isn’t so bad,” I imagined him saying to himself.

I knew the next part would be much harder. As each one gave the leader feedback on ways he detracted from the team, you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on him as each anticipated what the leader’s reaction might be. Each commentary delivered added to the tension in the room. “You don’t seem to listen when I am talking”…”you are quick to criticize and rarely give praise when a job is well done”…”you say something is a team decision and then you go off and make the decision on your own”…”sometimes I wonder what you are really thinking, I don’t have a feeling that you are being straight with me”…”I don’t hear from you all month, then you swoop in and seem to want to take over.”

As they went around the table, it became obvious to this CEO that the feedback was spot on. This was not really new information. He had been told earlier in his career that he is a died-in-the-wool maverick, a lone ranger. If the truth be told, he did not trust others to get the job done. He hated relying on others. He thought, “This is bad news. After all I invested in this team development initiative, am I really the biggest obstacle to teamwork?” This was disturbing.

The tension finally broke when the leader turned to the group and shared what he was thinking. “I hate to admit this, but I really don’t have much trust in people. Don’t take this personally, (laughter) but something inside me just thinks 'you have to do it all yourself, you can’t really count on others.' I guess that is pretty obvious to all of you.”
(more laughter).

The truth was out. In that moment this leader became transparent. He told them what everyone already knew. He promised to really work on this and make significant changes. In fact, he made some promises for growth in this area. He was already working with a coach, and so he pledged to discuss this in his next session and report back to the team within 30 days on ways he would be addressing the issue.

As other members had their turn to hear others’ perceptions, each had an opportunity to see some personal trait that was hard to swallow--a trait that was not necessarily a complete surprise, just not previously recognized as contributing to another’s frustration. As the facilitator, I gave each member an opportunity to choose one critical behavioral improvement. The group provided support in both the choice made and next action steps. By the end of the session, there was a sense of relief and a relaxed easiness, in this case, well earned.

Point: The truth works. For positive change to occur, team members must have a safe space for honest, direct and truthful feedback. That is what builds real trust.

Tools For Truth and Accountability:

1. Make group feedback a regular practice. Have it be a normal part of how you work together. Make it safe by having leaders go first. Have a facilitator to help move through the process and to provide direction.
2. Follow through on changes promised. Top leaders model this by working on their own growth and by also holding others to account for the changes promised.
3. Foster peer to peer accountability by encouraging people at all levels to give one another feedback, rather than leaving it only to the leader of a team. Include openness and honesty in your values and build this kind of risk-taking into your culture.
4. Provide coaching and/or education opportunities to support growth and development.

Remember the words of Ken Blanchard, “Real communication happens when people feel safe.”

Elaine Morris
June 10, 2006

About the Author: Elaine Siciliano Morris is principal consultant and founder of Sea Change Inc, an organizational effectiveness firm based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter on leadership, corporate culture and personal growth, Elaine works with leaders and their teams to create productive and rewarding work environments. More information about her is available on her website: www.seachangecoach.com, or contact Elaine by phone at 972-407-0648.