Accountability Trumps Talent

How accountable are the People in your business?
Do they turn up ready to give their all in the name of teamwork?
​Recently I went to an event to hear one of the Olympic Gold medallists from the Women’s Rugby Sevens team from Rio. She shared her insights into what it takes to be part of a High Performing Team.

Source: sbs.com.au

One of the key takeaways was Accountability. We all have tough days when we want to just turn up and coast. If you feel accountable to your team you are more likely to push through those moments. You know that your team depend on you and your contribution. You get in there and just do it.

Wouldn’t it be great if business could tap into the same level of psyche that elite athletes have to hold one another to account? Imagine the impact to productivity and team morale.
Michael Jordan says, “talent wins games, teamwork wins championships”.
Individual talent is a key asset that will only get you so far. A high-performing team is an example of ordinary people who together achieve extraordinary things.
In the model of the 5 behaviours of a cohesive team – accountability rates near the top of the pyramid.

Your Accountability Toolkit:
Communicate your business strategy

• Where are you going and how you will get there?
• Be transparent on the overall strategy of your business and share your progress regularly with your team. Transparency will lead to accountability as the team will know where they are heading.

 Ownership of team goals

• The team needs to own and feel connected to the goals that they need to achieve to fit in to the overall business strategy. Ownership creates accountability.

 Be clear on how each team member contributes to the end goal

• Each person on a sporting field has a role to play. Use that analogy for your business. Ensure collaboration of tasks and make it clear how all the different roles contribute to the overall goal. Avoid the silo approach.
• If people know how their role impacts up and down stream they are more likely to do it and do it well.

​Encourage an open arena for the tough conversations

• Successful teams need to be open and honest with one another. They need a safe environment to have tough conversations about what is working and what needs to change. Give your team a platform to air their dirty laundry. Allow them freedom to admit their mistakes, their weaknesses and concerns without fear. Then move on.

 Celebrate your success

• When you reach the milestone that you have all been working towards take time out as a team to celebrate your success. If you don’t hit your goal then it is just as important to share the learnings. This is a key step. It develops culture.

 
At the end of the cycle you go back to re-set the strategy and start all over again.

You can have a business full of great individual talent but ultimately success comes from team work. A high performing team are accountable to one another and will ultimately put themselves on the line for the greater good of the team.

If your team needs to discover their strategy for success get in touch – The People Scene HR Kickstart program can help you out and set you on the path to high performance