Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Fellavaledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode three ninety four. Today we're diving into a
Speaker 2: concept that most leaders love to talk about, but few
Speaker 2: actually know how to execute, and that is accountability. Specifically,
Speaker 2: we're breaking down what I call the accountability equation, a
Speaker 2: real world framework that turns vague standards into hard expectations.
Speaker 2: So if you've ever said things like I just want
Speaker 2: people to do their job, or we need to raise
Speaker 2: the bar, then this episode is for you, because here's
Speaker 2: the truth. Accountability is not a wish. It's not a
Speaker 2: motivational quote tape to the fridge in the breakroom. It's
Speaker 2: a math problem. And today I'm going to give you
Speaker 2: the formula. So section one of this the problem with
Speaker 2: vague standards. Most teams don't suffer from a lack of
Speaker 2: accountability because they're lazy or rebellious. They suffer because leaders
Speaker 2: communicate in fog. You've heard these before. Let's keep our
Speaker 2: vehicles clean. We need better attitudes or everyone has to
Speaker 2: step up. None of these statements are measurable, none of
Speaker 2: them are trackable, and none of them hold water when
Speaker 2: someone drops the ball. As leaders, we need to stop
Speaker 2: assuming that our team knows what we mean. We have
Speaker 2: to get specific precision isn't micromanagement, it's leadership. Section two
Speaker 2: the actual accountability equation. So let me introduce you to
Speaker 2: a formula that I use. Clarity plus consistency plus consequence
Speaker 2: equals accountability. Let me break this down. Clarity this is
Speaker 2: where most accountability fails. You must define expectations in clear
Speaker 2: binary terms. Not be professional, but show up in full
Speaker 2: uniform by seven forty five am. Not be a good
Speaker 2: team player, but a ten ninety percent of shift briefings
Speaker 2: and complete all checklist items before nine am. Clarity removes interpretation.
Speaker 2: It turns opinions into facts. In consistency, your expectations are
Speaker 2: worthless if they change based on mood, schedule, or favoritism.
Speaker 2: Consistency means holding every person to the same standard every time.
Speaker 2: It also means reinforcing those standards through communication just when
Speaker 2: there's a problem. Think of it like brushing your teeth.
Speaker 2: Do it once, nothing changes, do it daily, and you
Speaker 2: prevent decay. And the last part is consequence. Here's where
Speaker 2: the rubber meets the road. If you have clarity and
Speaker 2: consistency but no consequence, you don't have accountability. Consequences don't
Speaker 2: have to be punishment. They can be correction, they can
Speaker 2: be coaching. But there has to be a reaction when
Speaker 2: standards are not met. If people can miss the mark
Speaker 2: with zero pushback, the expectation was never real to begin with.
Speaker 2: And when you put these three elements together, clarity, consistency
Speaker 2: and consequence, you get true accountability. That's the equation. Section
Speaker 2: three is putting this into practice. So let's walk through
Speaker 2: a real world example. You want your team to keep
Speaker 2: the office clean. The vague version is, hey, guys, keep
Speaker 2: the office clean. The clarity version is kitchen wipe down
Speaker 2: by the end of every shift, fridge cleaned out on Fridays,
Speaker 2: no dishes left in the sink after meals. Consistency, send reminders,
Speaker 2: post a checklist, reinforce it weekly in briefings. In the consequence,
Speaker 2: if the standard is missed, there's a follow up conversation.
Speaker 2: If it happens again, maybe that team takes an extra
Speaker 2: cleanup shift. If it continues, it escalates to documentation. Now
Speaker 2: everyone knows the standard, everyone knows it matters, and everyone
Speaker 2: knows what happens when it's ignored. Section four. What this
Speaker 2: reveals about your leadership? And here's the tough truth. A
Speaker 2: lack of accountability is usually a reflection of leadership, not staff.
Speaker 2: If your team is confused, unclear, or inconsistent, it's probably
Speaker 2: not their fault. You might be running on assumptions. Habits
Speaker 2: are good intentions, but those don't drive behavior. Accountability isn't
Speaker 2: about being strict. It's about being clear and fair. When
Speaker 2: people know what to do, when to do it, and
Speaker 2: what happens if they don't, they feel safer, not more restricted.
Speaker 2: It builds trust, it builds discipline, and over time it
Speaker 2: builds performance. So let me leave you with this. You
Speaker 2: don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall
Speaker 2: to the level of your systems. Accountability isn't a slogan,
Speaker 2: it's a system. In the accountability equation of clarity plus
Speaker 2: consistency plus consequence is the foundation. So run your team
Speaker 2: like a professional operation, speak in specifics, show up consistently,
Speaker 2: and follow through with consequences. That's how you lead. This
Speaker 2: has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast, I thank you
Speaker 2: for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot
Speaker 1: com