One of the most important characteristics of a successful organization is accountability—the willingness of team members to call their peers out on performance or behaviors that might hurt the overall team.
Members of great teams overcome the discomfort of having difficult conversations and are willing to enter into the “Danger Zone” with each other. In the book Crucial Conversations the author says, “The most successful people are those who can handle life’s most difficult and important conversations by being persuasive not abrasive.”
Peer pressure, as politically incorrect as it might sound, is the most effective and efficient means of accountability. Sometimes dominant leaders naturally create an “accountability vacuum” within the team, leaving themselves as the only source of discipline. This makes for long lines outside the boss’s office and keeps members from accomplishing important tasks.
If accountability is an issue in your world, I invite you to visit our website: www.sandboxgroup.com. Click on the 5 Dysfunctions link or click the Team Assessment link to take our free online assessment.
Listen to Greg Carlson talk about accountability on the radio: Peer To Peer Accountability
Inspired People. Innovative Solutions.