Accountability is not just a mindset; it’s a skill. Everyone on your team, including you, should know that they’re 100% responsible for their own success, in and outside of the office, and their level of accountability will determine the success of the company as a whole.

The overall goal at hand must be clearly and precisely stated, with responsibilities attached to it. When your team operates with high standards of accountability, you all will develop a solid workforce focused on progressive, ever-learning results.

Placing accountability at the top of the priority list will not only raise the bar for your employees but also cause your business to be more productive and efficient.Here are some tips to help you keep accountability a priority in your business:

Start With You

In order to be successful, you can’t be afraid to take a good, long look in the mirror. Progress is sustained when you recognize your unsuitable traits and work to improve them. The main idea of self-reflection is to hold yourself accountable and learn from your mistakes.

Every good or bad habit in the office starts and ends with you. You are your company, so train yourself accordingly. Take responsibility when things go wrong and vice versa. Don’t just stand up when things are right but also deal with difficult and uncomfortable situations.

Hold Everyone Accountable

Encourage employees to keep each other accountable. Declaring accountability actions out loud in a group makes people more likely to complete tasks. No one likes to admit that they didn’t get something done. Create a time for your employees to declare their goals to a supervisor, a colleague, or their department.

Accountability across the office is important because people will continue to make the same mistakes unless they know they are part of a team that answers to each other. Hold your employees accountable from the beginning. Help them realize the strength of running a company culture where everyone continues to prove their accountability and learn from disciplinary tactics.

Moving forward, they’ll focus more on their actions, set and reach internal company goals and trust themselves and others to be accountable.

Shift Your Mindset

It happens to all of us: A due date is approaching and you keep pushing the task to the back burner. Have you ever asked yourself why? Is it something you hate to do? Is it something that you don’t really understand? Many times we push tasks because we don’t really have the right mindset to accomplish the task.

Next time this happens to you — shift your mindset. Think about what happens after the task is completed. Will you be able to move forward on another piece of a project that you love or will this be the last task of a big project and you will finally be finished? Focus on the outcome and not the unpleasantness of the task itself.

Ask for Help

Sometimes your projects and tasks are bigger than you and you might need help. It’s not always easy to ask for advice or guidance in the workplace. Don’t sit on a task because you don’t know how to do something. Do you need to ask a question? Find a coworker who can help you out. Look online or find a reference book that can help you better understand the assignment. Figure out what do you need to get through the task and take initiative to get it done.

Do you need help this week? Figure out how to get the help you need or ask your accountability group or partner to help point you in the right direction. Make sure your employees feel like they can come to you for help too.

Accept Internal Challenges & Conflicts

We all face failures and the fears that come along with it. Demonstrate to your team that accepting work challenges is a positive push towards their future advancements. They’ll learn not to back down from anything that presents itself as difficult.

Cultivating these types of winners is a huge plus for your company, and as a team, you’ll be able to adapt to changes over time. New or difficult projects, tasks and assignments will continue to pull them out of their comfort zones and help them gain professional development.

Add Team Incentive Programs

Motivation is fuel. Once you have employees motivated to reach their highest accountability and potential, your business will succeed. A great and fun way to push them is to add an incentive and compensate them for going over and beyond. They’ll be encouraged to work together to complete those goals and receive more than a pat on the back for it.

Building a culture of accountability in the workplace is not easy, but through it all, you’ll create long-lasting stability, increase performance, and help employees have a work balance.

Do Something Different

If you are struggling with a task this week, do something different. Find a way to make the task more enjoyable or discover a new way of looking at it. Plan on heading to a local Starbucks or your local business club and grab a coffee and crack open your journal or laptop and work on completing that task. Sometimes changing our environment and focus helps us get through something we find unpleasant. Trick your brain into being happy and tackle that task.

Let Chief of Minds Help You with Accountability

You can find accountability partners and support from Chief of Minds in our private Facebook Group. Interested in joining our BizChief Group? We look forward to connecting with you and helping you hold yourself accountable.