I’ve often coached leaders that driving accountability and having an accountable culture does not equate to being mean. You can absolutely be kind and hold people accountable at the same time. In fact you should be!
When you accept that holding your team accountable is also an act of kindness and respect you can lean in and find that place where you can have more accountability and more kindness.
It is a gift to be clear in your expectations and set deadlines and have desired outcomes. It is a gift to be able to communicate (two-way) with directness and transparency. Having expectations and deadlines are a part of ensuring you get good results.
But here’s the thing, having expectations and holding the team accountable comes with responsibilities.
Thriving, high performing teams are not perfect, Things go wrong and massive breakdowns happen. The big difference is that they can recover faster. They work in an environment where you can learn from mistakes and where you can raise issues early.
ZFCO 2022 Accountability/Kindness Study ZENGER FOLKMAN
In this study, in addition to rating their leader's effectiveness on accountability and kindness, each direct report also indicated their satisfaction with the business as a place to work and their willingness to put forth extra effort every day.
Results showed leaders that rate high for both Kindness and Accountability, had teams with the highest satisfaction and productivity.
In contrast, leaders that were rated high for kindness and low for accountability have employees who love them and describe them as fun and easy to work for, but productivity and performance are lower and satisfaction is not as high. And leaders that were rated low for kindness and high for accountability produce great results in the short term especially if the team is rewarded meaningfully for their efforts. This works well until there is a time of crisis or change and leads to very stressed employees and high turnover.
Of course, when there is low kindness and low accountability, leaders earn little respect from their team, and they struggle to drive results or performance.
A focus on kindness is the secret sauce to fostering a more accountable organization, where your team feels free to raise issues early, take responsibility when things go wrong and talk through difficult issues.
Without kindness, a lack of a feeling of safety builds and it results in employees hustling to fix issues on their own before anyone knows so they don’t get in trouble, finger pointing to other departments to deflect responsibility and avoiding difficult topics/issues. Over time this leads to lack of trust and transparency and not knowing where the pressure points are.
Both will have a domino effect within teams, throughout the organization, with customers and into the community.
Business is often driven by competition and profits at all costs. I’ve seen firsthand how leading with kindness stands out as an incredible differentiator for small businesses. When choosing to lead with kindness it creates a positive ripple effect that extends beyond the workplace. A small business known for its kindness becomes an attractive choice for customers, employees, and partners alike, leading to increased opportunities and sustainable growth.
Look for ways to intentionally be more kind. Integrate kindness into your core values / operating principles that guide your team. Take your business to new heights of success – where your employees are ALL IN.
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