The Right Way to Hold a Leader Accountable
I press hard on holding team members accountable, especially senior leaders. Accountability must be embedded into a company’s culture. Otherwise, the other work—the vision, the strategy, the planning—doesn’t amount to much.
That said, holding someone accountable is different from shaming them, giving up on them, or going around them because they’re struggling. A recent situation reminded me that it’s worth clarifying the difference.
You must have your team’s back. If you no longer believe in a team member, they should no longer be part of your team. This rule is simple, and despite all the excuses and exceptions you try to throw at it, it holds true.
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Here’s the situation (some details changed to protect everyone involved):
A company was having an issue with one of their channel partners. The reality was that sometimes this particular partner could be very challenging to do business with. They just didn’t always respect the company’s protocols or required ways of doing business. But they were also a big part of the company’s revenue (and to be fair, for the most part… they were still a good fit from a core values perspective), so the hard truth was that this problem had to be solved diplomatically.
After yet another incident where the partner did not follow the standard protocol of doing business, the COO of the company lost their cool and chewed them out. Ugh.
I know the COO personally, and I’m certain of how this conversation went. There was a lack of respect on both sides, tempers flared, and ultimately, the situation didn’t improve. Now the partner was angry, the COO was angry….and the team was concerned.
The team recognized that the partner could make their life difficult in a bunch of different ways.
So, they started petitioning the CEO.
You would be able to smooth things over.
You’re so much better at relationship stuff.
You’ve dealt with this partner before.
The COO mishandled the situation. Isn’t there something you can do?
The question, though, was not what can the CEO do, but what should they do?
The answer is far less than you might think.
The CEO could have said: “Ugh, yes, our hot-tempered COO blew it again. I’ll talk to the partner. I’ll fix it.”
Instead, I counseled the CEO to say the following: “I’ll look into the situation and see what happened. I will see if we can address the challenges with the partner in a different way. But, I support the COO. It was their responsibility to handle the situation, and they did their best. I will speak to the COO, but it’s not my job to get in the middle.”
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Unconditional support is not a management cliche. It’s a practice, and if you stop practicing it, your team will stop taking accountability. If you don’t trust their judgment, they’ll stop making decisions. If you don’t support their choices, they will look to you to solve all their problems.
Here’s what else happens when you stop supporting your team:
- You never get the full story of what happened, only a version driven by the incentives of the person who is telling it
- You disempower your leader and undercut their authority
- They stop making decisions on their own
- You end up with a lot more work and responsibility back on your plate
- Your relationship with the leader breaks down
You don’t have to defend poor choices or bad behavior. You don’t have to lie or pretend everything is fine.
But if you have a problem with a senior leader in your company, it’s really nobody else’s business how that problem is handled. Keep the discussion to a two-person conversation, not an all-hands meeting.
Hold your team accountable, yes. But do so without undermining their authority. When you support your leaders, even through their errors, you build the confidence and loyalty that makes everyone better in the long run.
