How accountable are you?

By Jamie MorleyAugust 7, 2023

The use of the word accountability is fairly widespread. But what does it actually mean and how can we be accountable as a leader?

Some dictionary definitions of accountability are as follows:

Cambridge Dictionary

‘the fact of being responsible for what you do and able to give a satisfactory reason for it, or the degree to which this happens’

Oxford Dictionary

‘the fact of being responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked’

So, how does this apply to leaders of dental practices or businesses? It seems pretty straight forward in terms of you make a decision, let’s say about a specific patient, and you can give a satisfactory reason or explanation for making that decision. In that situation you are in direct control about that decision. What happens though when one of your team members makes a decision. Are you responsible for that? Ultimately as leaders we are responsible for our teams and if we are responsible for the whole practice we are responsible for the actions they take as part of that dental practice or business. This is where accountability becomes very difficult as a leader. We are accountable not just for our own decisions and actions but also for the decisions and actions of our people.

When leaders think about this, they can think, understandably, well in that case I need to check everything that everybody is doing to make sure that they are doing it right. Of course, this is firstly not in any way practical to be able to do this for every member of your team, and micro-managing everybody is very stifling for the individual and de-motivating. They don’t believe that you trust them and will only do anything when you have checked and looked at it. The employee turnover would be catastrophic and likely the practice would fail. So, how do we be as accountable as we can be?

1. Set the example. Show that you are accountable for the decisions that you make and for your own actions.

2. Be open and honest with your actions and the consequences of those actions. Be open when they have worked and explain why. At the same time be comfortable in admitting when you have made mistakes and what you can learn.

3. Encourage open and honest discussions about all decisions and actions. Create an environment where people will be comfortable discussing and being open about situations.

4. Try not to be threatening and aggressive when delving into and understanding decisions. If we create a threatening and fearful environment people will not take an open and honest look at decisions. Instead they will be defensive and that will mean there is little likelihood of being accountable and learning from the situation.

5. Be genuinely interested and curious about how the decision occurred. Ask questions to help the person reflect on what happened and what they can learn from it, both with good and bad decisions.

6. You do have to enquire and look into work and the decisions that people are making. It is not about micro-managing, because you are not telling them exactly what to do, but you are getting them to look at what they have done and to reflect on their decisions.

7. Give effective feedback on what you noticed and observed about the situation. Not about them overall as a person but about the situation.

Ultimately what you are looking for is that all individuals are being accountable in their own right. If everybody is being accountable then you will be accountable as a leader. Micro-managing actually encourages the opposite. Threatening people also encourages the opposite. Create an open and honest environment. This will encourage people to accept responsibility and allow honest discussion which will lead to individuals being accountable. Of course, as the leader, you must do the same.