Balancing Autonomy and Accountability

When I started leading a high-powered recruiting team, I had the traits of the TYRANT leaders I now call out. Here's why: Despite my degrees, certificates, and ongoing professional development, nothing prepared me to transition into leading. I still had an individual contributor (IC) mindset, which unintentionally led me to compete with my very capable team. At the time, I engaged in behaviors like: Taking over projects instead of developing my team. Working long hours, thinking it showed commitment. Making unilateral decisions vs collaborating. Giving orders instead of providing clarity and context. Hoarding information instead of communicating transparently. Prioritizing my metrics over team goals. A month in, my boss at the time sat down with me and told me to own my transition and to stop taking over work when someone asked for help. (she's one of the best Leader's I've ever had) To transform my mindset, I sought out a few internal sponsors and observed how they managed their teams. I also asked my team for feedback on where I could do better. Once I made the changes: mindset and action, I began demonstrating new leadership behaviors: Coaching my team and developing their problem-solving skills. ↳Created an authorization matrix to empower them to make decisions. Promoting work-life balance through prioritization and delegation. ↳I stopped working on vacation to set a better example. Making collaborative decisions to increase buy-in. ↳They worked on the reqs, so I asked for their ideas and where I could implement them. Painting a vision and equipping the team to get there themselves. ↳I translated the organization's vision down to how it affected our team goals. Openly communicating to build trust and transparency. ↳I promoted democratic decision-making and explained when it needed to be autocratic. Aligning on and championing team goals over my individual metrics. ↳I held weekly reviews where I celebrated their success because it was OUR success. Here's what I want you to take from this: 1. Develop your team's skills rather than trying to be the expert. 2. Delegate decisions to increase buy-in and leverage diverse perspectives. 3. Openly share information rather than hoarding knowledge and insight. 4. Recognize and elevate your team's contributions rather than taking individual credit. #aLITTLEadvice #leadership

When talking about team autonomy, I find that many people get the wrong idea. It is not kindergarten. Developers are not two-year-olds doing whatever pops into their heads without considering the consequences. Autonomous teams _always_ work within constraints, budget being one of them, and working towards strategic objectives defined by the business is another. Autonomous teams are not ignorant of how a business works. In fact, learning how to operate within a business is an important prerequisite to autonomy. What autonomy does mean is that the team can work in whatever way suits them best *within* those constraints without management looming over them and trying to impose controls on the way that work is done. The team also decides what to work on, but that decision is rooted in a strong understanding of the product, of the market/customers, and of those strategic objectives I mentioned earlier. Practically, what autonomy gives you is getting better products out the door faster. That's a result anybody can get behind (except for ego-driven managers who place control over effectiveness). Without a culture of trust and respect, none of this is possible. So, if you say, "We can't do that here," look closely at your organizational culture and try to change it so that you _can_ do that here.

Your team isn't lazy. They're confused. You need a culture of accountability that's automatic: When accountability breaks down, it's not because people don't care. It's because your system is upside down. Most leaders think accountability means "holding people responsible." Wrong. Real accountability? Creating conditions where people hold themselves responsible. Here's your playbook: 📌 Build the Base Start with a formal meeting to identify the real issues. Don't sugarcoat. Document everything. Set a clear date when things will change. 📌 Connect to Their Pain Help your team understand the cost of weak accountability: • Stalled career growth • Broken trust between teammates • Mediocre results that hurt everyone 📌 Clarify the Mission Create a mission statement so clear that everyone can recite it. If your team can't connect their role to it in one sentence, They can't make good decisions. 📌 Set Clear Rules Establish 3-5 non-negotiable behaviors. Examples:  • We deliver what we commit to  • We surface problems early  • We help teammates succeed 📌 Point to Exits Give underperformers a no-fault, 2-week exit window. This isn't cruelty. It's clarity. 📌 Guard the Entrance Build ownership expectations into every job description. Hire people who already act like owners. 📌 Make Accountability Visible Create expectations contracts for each role. Define what excellence looks like. Get signed commitments. 📌 Make It Public Use weekly scorecards with clear metric ownership. When everyone can see who owns what. Accountability becomes peer-driven. 📌 Design Intervention Create escalation triggers: Level 1: Self-correction Level 2: Peer feedback Level 3: Manager coaching Level 4: Formal improvement plan 📌 Reward the Right Behaviors Reward people who identify problems early. (not those who create heroic rescues) 📌 Establish Rituals Conduct regular reviews, retrospectives, and quarterly deep dives. 📌 Live It Yourself Share your commitments publicly. Acknowledge your mistakes quickly. Your team watches what you do, not what you say. Remember: The goal isn't to catch people failing. It's to create conditions where:  • Failure becomes obvious  • And improvement becomes inevitable. New managers struggle most with accountability:  • Some hide and let performance drop  • Some overcompensate and micromanage We can help you build the playbook for your team. Join our last MGMT Fundamentals program for 2025 next week. Enroll today: https://lnkd.in/ewTRApB5 In an hour a day over two weeks, you'll get:  • Skills to beat the 60% failure rate  • Systems to make management sustainable  • Live coaching from leaders with 30+ years experience If this playbook was helpful... Please ♻️ repost and follow 🔔 Dave Kline for more.

Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets, and we’re running out of buckets. If you're leading teams through #AI adoption, navigating #hybrid work, or just steering through the tempest that is 2025, there's a crucial factor that could make or break your success: #trust. And right now, it's in free fall. Edelman's Trust Barometer showed an "unprecedented decline in employer trust" -- the first time in their 25 years tracking that trust in business fell. It's no surprise: midnight #layoff emails, "do more with less," #RTO mandates, and fears of #GenAI displacement given CEO focus on efficiency are all factors. The loss of #trust will impact performance. The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) research shows high performing organizations have 10-11X higher trust between employees and leaders. Trust impacts #engagement, #innovation and #technology adoption, especially AI. My latest newsletter gets beyond the research and into what leaders can do today to start rebuilding trust You can't command-and-control your way through a complete overhaul of how we work... Trust is a two-way street. Leaders need to go first, but we also have to rebuild the gives-and-takes of employer/employee relationships. Three starting points: 1️⃣ Clear Goals, Real Accountability. Stop monitoring attendance and start measuring outcomes. Give teams clear goals and autonomy in how they achieve them. 2️⃣ Transparency with Guardrails. Break down information silos. Share context behind decisions openly - even difficult ones. Establish guardrails for meaningful conversations internally (instead of rock-throwing externally). 3️⃣ Show Vulnerability. Saying "I don't know" isn't weakness–it's an invitation for others to contribute. The word “vulnerability” seems anathema to too many public figures at the moment, who instead are ready to lock themselves in the Octagon with their opponents. But what’s tougher for them: taking a swing at someone, or admitting to their own limitations? This isn't just about CEOs. Great leaders show up at all levels of the org chart, creating "trust bubbles:" pockets of high performance inside even the most challenging environments. If you're one of those folks, thank you for what you do! 👉 Link to the newsletter in comments; please read (it's free) and let me know what you think! #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Management #Culture

One of the hardest balances to master as a leader is staying informed about your team’s work without crossing the line into micromanaging them. You want to support them, remove roadblocks, and guide outcomes without making them feel like you’re hovering. Here’s a framework I’ve found effective for maintaining that balance: 1. Set the Tone Early Make it clear that your intent is to support, not control. For example: “We’ll need regular updates to discuss progress and so I can effectively champion this work in other forums. My goal is to ensure you have what you need, to help where it’s most valuable, and help others see the value you’re delivering.” 2. Create a Cadence of Check-Ins Establish structured moments for updates to avoid constant interruptions. Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a clear agenda help: • Progress: What’s done? • Challenges: What’s blocking progress? • Next Steps: What’s coming up? This predictability builds trust while keeping everyone aligned. 3. Ask High-Leverage Questions Stay focused on outcomes by asking strategic questions like: • “What’s the biggest risk right now?” • “What decisions need my input?” • “What’s working that we can replicate?” This approach keeps the conversation productive and empowering. 4. Define Metrics and Milestones Collaborate with your team to define success metrics and use shared dashboards to track progress. This allows you to stay updated without manual reporting or extra meetings. 5. Empower Ownership Show your trust by encouraging problem-solving: “If you run into an issue, let me know your proposed solutions, and we’ll work through it together.” When the team owns their work, they’ll take greater pride in the results. 6. Leverage Technology Use tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello to centralize updates. Shared project platforms give you visibility while letting your team focus on execution. 7. Solicit Feedback Ask your team: “Am I giving you enough space, or would you prefer more or less input from me?” This not only fosters trust but also helps you refine your approach as a leader. Final Thought: Growing up playing sports, none of my coaches ever suited up and got in the game with the players on the field. As a leader, you should follow the same discipline. How do you stay informed without micromanaging? What would you add? #leadership #peoplemanagement #projectmanagement #leadershipdevelopment

Confusion is expensive. Ambiguity kills execution. And when everyone is kind of responsible, no one is. At DISQO, one of our values is "Win as One Team." That does not mean everyone owns everything. It means we put company outcomes above personal outcomes. We do not hoard credit. We do not point fingers. We win together. But to actually win, we need more than good intentions and good will. We need clear roles, defined success measures, and accountability for outcomes. Winning requires keeping score. It requires naming owners. That is why we built the DSF, the "DISQO Strategic Framework." It helps every team align on vision, priorities, outcomes, and metrics so we know where we are going and who owns what. So when something slips, like a missed renewal, a broken experience, a dropped ball, we can ask the real question: Who owned it? And if the answer starts with “Well, it was kind of shared between…” the issue is not just the result. It is the structure. Shared goals matter. But execution demands clear lanes and single threaded accountability. Ownership creates speed. Speed creates clarity. Clarity creates results. So what are steps everyone can take to create this kind of future? ✅ If you are a leader: make sure every priority has a named owner. Not a team, a person. ✅ If you are on a team: get clear on what you own, how success is measured, and how others rely on you. ✅ If you are building a company: build a system like the DSF that makes ownership visible, durable, and aligned across functions. Name the owner. Create the future. #CreateTheFuture #LeadershipInAction #AccountabilityMatters #CustomerSuccess #TeamExecution

Sometimes as a leader, you need to ask yourself “am I the drama?” Nobody likes to be labelled “micromanager” Although the intentions behind micromanagement may vary, the constant is that micromanagement causes significant issues within teams. When leaders share that they have been tagged a micromanager - or maybe you are part of a team led by one - the first step is to slow down and get curious. Rather than falling into the more knee-jerk reaction of defending, armoring up or shutting down; get curious about what is really happening within the dynamics of the relationship. It’s more than a leadership or personality style—in my experience, it could be any of these issues (sometimes, a combination of two or all three) 👉 A struggle for power and autonomy Some individuals naturally gravitate toward an independent work style. While admirable, this approach can sometimes clash with team collaboration. As a leader, your role is to harmonize the needs of the team with the autonomy of the individual. Consider these three approaches to define autonomy effectively: ✅ Set a clear vision for the desired outcome so everyone knows what success looks like. ✅ Touch base early to confirm alignment and direction. ✅ Encourage team members to pause if they're stuck for more than 20 minutes and seek clarity or support. 👉 Broken trust Micromanagement often masks a deeper issue: a lack of trust. Before tightening the reins, reflect on what’s creating the need for excessive oversight. Shane Feldman’s trust framework—caring, sincerity, reliability, and competence—provides a useful lens: ✅ Caring: Do team members grasp the project's importance or how their contributions affect others? ✅ Sincerity: Have actions aligned with commitments? ✅ Reliability: Are deadlines consistently met, and are roadblocks communicated in time? ✅ Competence: Do they have the skills and experience necessary for this task? When trust falters, honest discussions pave the way for rebuilding trust and resetting expectations without resorting to micromanagement. 👉 Broken System Some work environments require strong communication and collaboration frameworks. Without them, leaders may unintentionally micromanage to compensate for systemic inefficiencies. To counteract this, establish transparent processes. For instance, implement structured updates via project management tools or schedule consistent team check-ins. This will reduce oversight while empowering your team to self-manage effectively. If you receive feedback about micromanaging, resist the urge to dismiss it. Self-reflection is a cornerstone of growth. Balance autonomy, nurture trust, and optimize systems to lead with confidence, empathy, and impact. The shift starts with self work. Now ask yourself again after this post: am I the drama? #LeadWithLove #Micromanagement #LeadershipExcellence #TeamTrust #Empowerment #WorkplaceCulture #Unsiloed

Empathy vs. Accountability: Striking the Right Balance A reoccurring theme has been coming up in a bunch of our inquisitive empathy workshops recently. Clients have been coming to us saying that while yes, they need to build more safety, trust, and empathy amongst their teams, they also need to create more accountability. They need to figure out how to challenge their teams, how to produce productive conflict, how to put pressure on their people to get the best out of them, and inspire them to rise up. And that's a difficult line that a lot of companies are navigating—running the balance between empathy and accountability, between high challenge and high support, between tension and ease, between overcooked pasta and undercooked pasta. Al dente. Well, we've invented a matrix. It’s the Empathy-Accountability Model, and it’s all about striking the balance. •When we lean too far in one direction, we risk burnout and disengagement. •When we lean too far the other way, we get inefficiency and misalignment. But when we work together—empathy and accountability—we build trust, growth, and long-term success. Check it out: Too much accountability, not enough empathy → Burnout Zone •Employees feel overwhelmed and undervalued. •High expectations without support lead to disengagement. Too much empathy, not enough accountability → Chaos Zone •Without clear standards, performance drops. •A culture of leniency leads to inefficiency and misalignment. Neither empathy nor accountability → Apathy Zone •Employees lack direction and motivation. •Stagnation and low morale take over. The ideal balance → Thriving Zone •Leaders create a culture where people feel valued yet challenged. •Teams are supported and held to high standards, driving sustainable success. Top five tips I've been teaching: 1. Set Clear Expectations with Empathy (Challenge with Empowerment) 2. Listen First, Then Lead (Empathy without Action is Empty) 3. Use Constructive Feedback, Not Just Criticism (Appreciative Inquiry) 4. Model the Behavior You Expect (Be the Positive Contagion) 5. Encourage Ownership and Autonomy Great leadership isn’t about choosing between empathy and accountability—it’s about integrating them. When we train leaders HOW to get this balance right through our tactical skills based trainings (Inquisitive Empathy Workshops), people feel valued, challenged, and motivated to do their best work. Check out the matrix below. Ignore the UX lol.

Lack of Oversight ≠ Autonomy It’s easy to mistake a hands-off approach from product leaders as “autonomy.” And when leaders step in to provide guidance, it can feel like autonomy is being taken away. But the truth is that Autonomy isn’t the absence of leadership. It’s the ability to make informed, impactful decisions within a framework of clarity and trust. This distinction is what builds great product teams. What Great Product Teams Do Differently ✅ Context over control: Product leaders provide the "why"—clarity on vision, strategy, and problems to solve. This enables teams to focus on discovering and delivering impactful solutions. ✅ Coaching over micromanaging: Leaders act as thought partners, helping teams navigate risks (value, usability, feasibility, and business viability) while encouraging ownership. ✅ Focus on outcomes, not outputs: Empowered teams aim to solve real customer problems and deliver business results, not just tick boxes on a roadmap. What Autonomy Is Not ❌ Isolation from strategy: Teams need alignment with broader goals to make meaningful progress. ❌ Freedom from collaboration: Success is built on diverse perspectives, not siloed decision-making. ❌ Lack of accountability: True autonomy involves ownership, not operating without guardrails. When product leaders invest in context and coaching, teams transcend misunderstood autonomy to become empowered, high-performing teams that deliver real impact.

Accountability is a sign you care about your team members. When I was a first time manager, I felt unsure how to balance maintaining high standards for projects and giving feedback to team members about meeting expectations. The truth is: I wanted to be liked. So I stepped in to fix things instead of giving feedback—solving problems, rewriting final briefings, and rescuing them from deadlines (though I added more of them for myself). It took time to reframe what I now hold true: Accountability isn’t the opposite of compassion. It *is* compassion. Now in coaching and advising higher ed advancement leaders, I hear similar worries: What if they don’t like me? What if I push too hard? What if they’re already overwhelmed? I remind leaders these are valid concerns and also signs you care. Here’s what it looks like to lead with both clarity and compassion: ✅ Set clear expectations ✅ Provide the tools and resources your team needs to succeed ✅ Coach them through growth and challenge ✅ Believe in their abilities ✅ Give clear, specific, actionable feedback—because you care enough to help your team grow Leaders who hold their teams accountable build trust, culture, capacity—and stronger organizations. In university advancement, where the work is deeply human, we need leaders who do both: care deeply and lead boldly. If you’re navigating this balance right now with your team—or your managers are—let’s connect on how we can support you.