How to Balance Accountability and Relationship Building

Last week, I met with 350+ senior managers across the company to discuss our Leadership Principles, which serve as a playbook for building and leading unstoppable teams at SharkNinja. During the fireside chat, I was asked about accountability.    Accountability is at the core of effective teamwork. But how do we truly inspire it? Here are a few things I've gathered over my career:   Clarify: Accountability falters when individuals aren't clear about their responsibilities. As a manager, ensure absolute clarity. Ask, "Are you clear about what you're accountable for?" Own: Simply assigning tasks and walking away won't cut it. Take ownership of their success. Encourage regular updates (every three days) to course correct and offer support. Balance: There's a fine line between autonomy and setting up for failure. To drive accountability, guide your team through the process. It's akin to teaching a child to ride a bike – you hold on until they're steady. You hold on even when they say, “Let go, I’ve got this” – because you don’t want them to fall. Invest: When there's a clear understanding of accountability and a personal connection, they won’t want to let you down. Invest in your team's success, and they'll reciprocate.   Finding this equilibrium may take time, but the results are worth every effort.

Two foundations of a high-performing team. Coaching my daughter's basketball teams as an example. See if this is true in your organization. >> Warm accountability. >> Measured discipline. I show empathy, compassion, and curiosity for my daughters to flourish off the court this builds a culture of trust, or "warm accountability." Warm accountability is building trust in the relationship. I hold them to a standard of excellence to go above and beyond during practice this builds "measured discipline." Measured discipline is a standard to challenge the player and stimulate growth. Warm Accountability with Measured Discipline = High Performing Team For example: Low Relationship Value with High Challenge Culture = High Burnout Team led by unhealthy driven CEO. High Relationship Value with Low Challenge Culture = Low Win Column led by an "nice" CEO. Low Relationship Value with Low Challenge Culture = Losing and Toxic Team led by poor differentiated and anxious CEO. High Relationship Value with High Challenge Culture = High Performing Team led by a well-defined and whole-hearted CEO. In what ways do you need to add depth of warm accountability or measured discipline to your team? Are you the CEO who is ready to grow into a wholehearted leader so your team does not burn out, you can flourish, redeem your time, and generate better revenue? Let's talk. Stop going alone. Get back your life.

Teams don’t fall apart because people mess up. They fall apart because no one talks about it when they do. And when things go right we often skip the conversation entirely. The thing is, accountability isn’t code for punishment, it’s one of the most powerful tools a leader has - when it’s used right. And I get why accountability falls short: it’s uncomfortable, it feels personal, and most of us were never taught how to do it well, only how to react when things go off the rails. And yet, in fast-moving, high-pressure organizations, the way you handle accountability sets the tone for just about everything else: Performance. Trust. Culture. All of it. Here’s how I break down accountability with the executives I coach because sustainable success depends on both: How to Hold Yourself Accountable: • Own your outcomes (that means the wins and the misses) • Reflect before reacting • Share what you’ve learned (out loud, not just in your head) • Follow through, every time • Say “I got it wrong” when you did How to Hold Others Accountable: • Set expectations that are clear, not assumed • Make progress visible, don’t wait for the postmortem • Say it soon, while it’s still fresh and useful. Feedback delayed is feedback denied. • Ask: “What’s getting in your way, and how can I help?” • Catch what’s working, not just what’s broken One form of accountability builds credibility and the he other builds culture. You need both. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Hold one person accountable for something that went well. See what happens and then tell me about it! What's your best advice for building an accountability muscle or culture? #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #Accountability #OrganizationalEffectiveness #PsychologicalSafety #TrustAndPerformance

A recent client challenged my perspective on accountability, recalling a time when my direct reports fell short.   Their argument: accountability must involve punishment. I explained that I did hold them accountable, but I did it with empathy. Empathy in this context isn't about being soft. It's about recognizing the leadership struggles we all face and saying, 'I understand this is tough, and I'm here to support you.' Empathy doesn't negate accountability; it complements it. The crucial next step is to guide your team on the path to prepare for and address the challenge—a collaborative journey toward resolution. Moreover, leading with empathy goes beyond just being compassionate. It's about creating an environment where accountability is a shared effort. When leaders understand the challenges their teams encounter, they can bridge gaps, build trust, and inspire resilience. In essence, empathy doesn't mean ignoring responsibilities; it means acknowledging that behind every role, there's a human dealing with complexities. Can you recall a time in your own leadership journey when someone demonstrated this concept?   I’d love to hear all about it! Leading Authorities, Inc. #businessleaders #strategicplanning #teamdevelopment #selfleadership #corevalues

No spreadsheet can calculate the worth of a real relationship. The people we hire and lead are some of the most complex and tricky to navigate relationships. Why? It can feel like a lonely, exhausting, thankless, one-way street job. People expect a lot from their leaders. We're often expected to be perfect, and it's easy to forget that leaders are human too. Whether we like it or not, this starts with us. When we treat people like people and back our words up with action, their trust and empathy grow. This is rooted in our ability to communicate well. If you haven’t read it, pick up a copy of The Four Agreements.    The third agreement in the book is ‘don’t make assumptions’, a superpower in conversations.   I can’t tell you how much I’ve assumed over the years and how I felt like something was left behind in the end. We find what we look for, and assuming bad intent right off the bat will not get us anywhere and will shut people down. I've learned that the greatest gift you can give someone is the benefit of the doubt.    I try to approach each conversation that I'm there to get to the root of the situation; I'm here to help with a true desire to come away with a plan for progress. I've certainly screwed it up. And I've figured out how to do better from those screw-ups:   ... Acknowledge that it is a difficult situation and start the conversation there ... Lean into the disagree and commit method ... Understand your part of the story ... Get clear on what’s missing ... Come to the discussion with ideas and solutions ... Don’t point the finger and speak from a place of you, not them ... Look for common ground ... Take notes ... Set an action plan together   If you want to be heard, the best thing you can do is listen first. What are your building blocks for building relationships as a leader? Avenue Talent Partners | High-precision executive search for startups #leadership #startups #founders #BuildWithATP

"What are your biggest challenges as an SDR Leader?" One of my SDRs asked me this today (s/o John Ciannello) 1. Super wise to understand your leaders' priorities and challenges, so that you as a rep can contribute proactively to those efforts and set yourself apart as a leader. 2. Response below: ➡️ Balancing Accountability with Trust My parents will relate to this one. No, I don't want you to touch the stove (miss daily KPIs), because you'll burn your hand (miss quota). If you listen to me, you'll be safe. But you're also an adult, a professional, and you need to own your job, so if you want to touch the stove, I will warn you, but I won't stop you. Touch the stove more than a few times, you make me question your professionalism and coachability. But if I warn you too many times about the stove, you question my trust in you as a professional and feel patronized. This delicate balance of being enforcer and supporter is tough. ➡️ Visibility into Process and Workflow (especially when remote) There is SO MUCH to review and optimize. Messaging, objection handling, process, the list goes on... Current strategy is to decentralize command and delegate. IE: empower the reps to look for this stuff, and create systems for the reps to report back to me on each area. I need to get better in that area ^ But the feeling that I am constantly missing stuff is haunting...to continually capture/measure/and track outcomes in the universe of SDR management is a daunting task. ➡️ Balance between being a Strategist vs. Tactician If I don't focus on strategy, building better campaigns, better lead lists, and thinking about the next 3-6 months, the team suffers. If I don't get in the weeds and coach cold calls, objection handling, email writing, and process optimization, the team suffers. Constant back and forth. Don't have a good solution to this right now. Current strategy is to: 1) Teach my reps how to coach each other, slowly but surely 2) Do a little of both strategy and tactics every day - IE - daily call review with a pair of reps (tactician) and daily playbook enhancements (strategist) If I don't do both concurrently, one or the other will inevitably suffer. All that said, this job rocks because it allows me to fulfill my WHY - to invest in others and give them the opportunity to change their life, and the equip them with the confidence that no matter where they come from, they can do it. Wouldn't want it any other way. #sales #sdr #saas #leadership