Coaching Techniques That Encourage Accountability

Lack of accountability is more common than we like to admit. You’ve likely worked with someone who avoids responsibility—or maybe you’ve had to work around them. In some team cultures, that becomes the norm: compensate for the gaps, rather than address the issue head-on. Most leaders can spot when accountability is lacking. But coaching someone toward accountability? That’s the hard part. And here’s the real challenge... We tend to treat “accountability issues” as one generic problem. It shows up in very different ways—each requiring its own approach. Sometimes, a teammate simply doesn’t know what your expectations are. That’s where leadership patience comes in: teaching, encouraging, and building clarity together. 🚩 8 Red Flags That Signal Accountability Gaps (Which ones are showing up on your team?) THE GHOST – “I wasn’t even involved in that.” → Clarify roles upfront. Accountability begins with defined responsibility. THE AVOIDER – Dodges feedback sessions. → Position feedback as a tool for growth, not criticism. THE DEFLECTOR – Changes the subject when challenged. → Stay direct and respectful to address the core issue. THE FINGER POINTER – “It wasn’t me—it was the team.” → Shift the focus from blame to solutions. THE PROCRASTINATOR – Delays action to avoid outcomes. → Break work into small, doable steps to build traction. THE VICTIM – “Everything always goes wrong for me.” → Help them identify what’s within their control. THE EXCUSE MAKER – “The deadline was impossible!” → Set realistic timelines with the team—not for them. THE MINIMIZER – “It’s not a big deal.” → Connect the dots between their actions and the bigger picture. Awareness is the first step toward accountability. Which of these behaviors do you see most often? And more importantly—how are you addressing them?

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.

You don't have to be harsh to hold others accountable. You can make expectations clear and also guide with empathy. Follow these steps: 1. Be the Example Model the excellence you expect. Lead by doing. 2. Set a Clear Vision Define success. Ensure everyone's on the same page. 3. Use Constructive Feedback Offer it often. Be supportive and non-judgmental. It's fuel for their growth. 4. Check-In, Not Just Up Regular touchpoints keep everyone aligned. And keep stress levels in check. 5. Empower Your Team Let them own their tasks. Be their guide, not their shadow. 6. Tackle Challenges Together When issues arise, address them head-on. But always focus on solutions. 7. Celebrate the Wins Show you see and value their efforts. It's the best kind of motivation. That's accountability with a heart. ➟ High expectations ➟ Genuine support ➟ Together, you succeed Be a leader that combines empathy with expectations. Find this valuable? Repost to share with others ♻️. And follow Nihar Chhaya, MBA, MCC for more. P.S. Want a high-res PDF of this infographic? Try my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gGCNyeGj

Here’s yet another dilemma that comes up with execs, one that we also hear with the Sr. Directors/VPs who attend “Cracking the C-Suite,” the class I co-teach with Ethan Evans: "How do you install accountability without micromanaging?" Here’s the one-word answer: COACH. Here's the one-sentence answer, in case you want to stop reading now 😀: SET really HIGH EXPECTATIONS and COACH like hell. First, how do you make TIME for coaching? Like other activities (e.g., networking, exercising, strategic thinking) that seemingly aren't a part of your "real job," coaching needs to be calendared. Putting coaching in the calendar takes on two flavors: 1) 1-1's—You probably already have weekly or bi-weekly 30-minute meetings with your directs. I bet most of those meetings are for getting caught up on projects. Use some of the time to coach, not just get updates. 2) Put in 30 minutes after team meetings for more spontaneous interactions (i.e., ask one of your directs to stay back). In either time scenario, one of your actions as a coach is to give FEEDBACK on performance. Just like with an athletics coach, the more feedback you give, the more chance there is for change. Try asking these questions first: 1) "What worked well?" (i.e., in that sales call with the customer) 2) "What didn't work so well?" 3) "What could you do next time?" Important: Add your feedback AFTER you have heard from your direct. This forms the basis for a good coaching relationship: you're asking direct questions, they're responding, and you're sprinkling in your POV. You are not primarily "telling"; thus you're avoiding that "micromanaging" tag. Asking good questions and continuing to probe is easier said than done because our tendency is to go fast, and get through these meetings quickly. If you don't want to get annoyed or be annoying, clear your distractions and be present with your directs. Besides giving clear feedback, other times your role is more of a guide to PROBLEM-SOLVE with your directs. These situations are more intractable and often involve your skips (i.e., your direct is having a hard time with one of their directs' performance). Note: You're teaching your direct how to fish, not catching the fish for them! In these cases, when you're guiding, try asking these questions: 1) "What is the situation you're in?" (i.e., direct isn't prioritizing very well, and the team is falling behind) 2) Tell me more about the history (of the situation). 3) What have you tried so far (to remedy the situation)? 4) What could you try next (to solve the problem)? Readers: How do you make time for coaching in your busy day, in order to hold your directs accountable? ——— Want to chat more about a leadership dilemma? Happy to help: https://lnkd.in/gvaJrMVY

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝘆-𝗜𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 - The end-goal for leaders when they engage in problem-solving, coaching, delegating and/or feedback conversation is to create actions and accountability for progress. To accomplish this clarity and buy-in, leaders must learn to be deliberate about ensuring that the next steps and accountability are clearly defined. More often than not, a lack of follow-through is because the leader did not create explicit agreements for next steps. Both parties walk away from the conversation assuming they are aligned but without taking time to make explicit agreements, there is no shared alignment. Unfortunately, this often results in frustration and lack of trust. Following are some Quality Questions to help generate shared accountability for action. •  What does success look like?  • What are we each committing to do moving forward? • What steps must you take to get there? • What support do you need from me? • How will we hold ourselves accountable? • How and when will we reconnect to check progress? Great leaders understand that creating an environment where employees deliver on expectations creates job satisfaction and trust that results in high-performance. Do you agree? Share your COMMENTS below. ⤵️ 𝗛𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 🔔 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 | Tony Gambill   #leadership #careers #humanresources #management