Modeling the Right Behaviors for Your Team

Learn why modeling accountability is essential for leaders, and how it can strengthen team culture by creating a transparent and supportive environment.

As a leader, you need to model the behaviors that you want from your team members. People watch a leader’s every move. Setting that example is a critical element of modeling accountability and creating the right culture on your team. The words you use. When you say I versus we. Do you say I when something goes wrong? Or do you only say it when things go right? Do you say we when something goes wrong? Or when something goes right? It sets a tone for who’s accountable for those actions.

As you think about whether you’re modeling the right behaviors or not, some questions you should ask yourself are as follows:

Do I say I or we more frequently? And in what situations do I use those words?

Do I proactively let the team know, “Hey, I’ve made a mistake, and here’s what I’m doing to resolve it?”

Do my team members say I or we? And again, in which situations? And do I reward or praise people for owning up to a mistake and fixing it? Or do I punish them when they bring that mistake forward?

A to-do for you as a leader, as you look to model these accountability behaviors, is to pick a recent mistake you’ve made. And we’ve all made them. Then sit down and discuss it with your team. Let them know, “I made a mistake. Here’s why I made the mistake. And here’s what I’m doing to fix it.” Then go that next step and let them know, “Here’s why we’re having this conversation. I want to model the right set of behaviors for you.”

If you’re able to do this on a regular basis, and praise people for owning up to mistakes, calling things out when you make mistakes, and then driving that accountability where it belongs, you’re going to go a long way to strengthen the culture of accountability on your team.

Want to learn more about building accountability into your culture? How about taking an entire course on it? Check out the video below to learn more about the course and get started. Or you can go directly to the course and start learning how to build accountability into your culture. The entire course is available at LinkedIn Learning. Enjoy!

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