Accountability is a term that’s often thrown around in the workplace, much like “communication” or “trust.” But if you really want to develop accountability, you need to first define what it truly means.

When I think of accountability, it’s about employees who actively care about creating impact—for both the customer and the company. It’s about doing everything they can to deliver collaboratively, on time, and with the right scope and quality. And yes, it should also be fun.

Now, if you’re feeling that your employees aren’t being accountable, ask yourself why. Is it because they don’t care? Are they unfocused? Maybe they’re focused on building capabilities that aren’t being used. But before pointing fingers, consider this: are you creating an environment that enables accountability?

If your employees are capable and do care, maybe it’s time to shift your thinking. Instead of viewing accountability as a characteristic, treat it as an outcome, and guide your organization towards achieving it. Ask yourself what’s preventing them from reaching that level of ownership.

Here are some techniques that have worked for me:

• Focus on Key Results, Not Tasks: Help your managers and leads grasp the company’s goals. Let them take ownership by developing their own initiatives to move the needle. 
• E2E Execution Pods: Group your people in self-contained task forces (backend, data, full stack, devops, product, …). This creates an end-to-end mindset, ensuring accountability for the final outcome—not just a handoff of artifacts. Design your initiatives accordingly.
• Reasonable Capacity Planning: Use t-shirt size estimates that account for maintenance, on-call, and vacations. Plan for more than 80% to be realistically achievable.
• Bi-weekly Check-ins: Check KPIs and KRs every two weeks. Encourage honest reporting and reflections if things are off-track.
• Time Allocation: Ensure 70% of time is spent on key initiatives, with 30% reserved for maintenance, on-call, and tech debt.
• Create a Safe Space for Failure: Use retrospectives to foster continuous improvement, making it safe to fail and learn.
• Celebrate Wins: Recognize and celebrate all achievements and impact.
• Monitor the Atmosphere: Building something together should be enjoyable, even when it’s challenging.

Accountability isn’t an inherent trait but rather an outcome shaped by the environment leaders create. Be accountable to build an accountable team.

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