Establishing Consequences and Having a Detailed Follow-Up Plan for Accountability

The right people are in place and expectations are clear—what needs to come next? As you continue to build the foundation of what healthy accountability looks like, each additional step adds depth to the previous ones. Moving to steps three and four do just that. Step three rounds out the core of accountabilities foundation. In step four you will begin to level up to building stability, repeatability, and sustainability. These are necessary for maintaining a culture of accountability.

The next two steps also concentrate on words that sometimes are associated with negative connotations. And, arguably, the first one is easy to see how it can be seen in such a light. Consequences sounds like it means something bad. And with how the word is commonly used, people assume as much.

DEFINE mutually understood consequences

Consequences are an important part of performance and behavioral motivators. Clearly understood consequences guide performance and behavioral choices. Consequences should shape future choices that lead to specific outcomes. Positive consequences are equally important to reinforce the positive actions.

In the overview statement above, we hit on all the key points of what consequences should mean. 

Consequences (noun)

plural noun: consequences

A result or effect of an action or condition.

By definition, a consequence means an outcome. We tend to assume that it means a bad outcome. It doesn’t have to. The critical element in step three of accountability is that everyone understands what it means to reach certain outcomes. Just as there is a negative use of the word accountable when people say, “I will hold you accountable,” the statement, “there will be consequences” gets used more as a threat than a statement of fact. There are always consequences to our actions. When I press the keys on this keyboard, the consequence is that a letter appears on the screen. So, yes, there will be consequences. 

To round out the strength of your foundation for accountability, the discussion of the expectations, the outcomes, and the next steps must be discussed up front. Sorry to jump ahead for a moment, but step eight (assume nothing) will be an important part of this discussion. Ensure that everyone is clear on what the outcomes will mean to anyone involved. Again, this doesn’t have to be negative; it can be a reinforcement of the positives that come from the assigned actions. 

This step is also an excellent way to open the dialogue with your team member or whoever you are working with. (Expectation setting and consequences is not always, and should not be, a top down thing.) Discuss up front what they believe should or will happen if the expectations are not met. There is no specific right answer to this, it will all be situational. However, this is where the ‘mutually understood’ part of step three is finalized and defined. Everyone walks away with a clear idea of what they need to do and what will happen if what is expected does or doesn’t happen.

CONDUCT detailed follow-up

Follow-up means observation, evaluation, support, and closure. It means defining the next steps of what should occur. Schedule the next review session, discuss the outcomes so far, and what needs to happen next. If a process is complete, review, bring closure, then define what will be the next set of actions. If the initial expectation was something ongoing, this must remain as something that is reviewed again in the future.

Follow-up is an absolutely necessary core behavior that leaders must embrace for a culture of accountability to be well established. Much like the others we have mentioned previously, ‘follow-up’ can sound like a bad thing. “I will follow up with you” can also take on a negative feel if not handled well. Everyone should expect to have someone connect back with them. After all, in steps two and three, we have essentially formed an agreement between two people and there should be a desire to have a connection back to what was previously discussed. Few people want to leave things hanging without closure on how they performed, what they could do better, or learn from the experience. 

Follow-up is another opportunity to review what is occurring, any progress being made, or where obstacles remain. This step is a two-way street, no different from steps two and three. Discussion is essential to refine any unclear expectations and to reinforce what those expected outcomes look like. 

The importance of follow-up becomes more defined in steps five and six. Follow-up should be an expectation that your team, your peers, and your supervisor have from you. Follow-up is a proactive activity and, to reinforce its importance, is essential in creating the culture of accountability.

In these two steps, we add the final layer to our foundation, one that can support the needs of an environment where people have trust in one another and that their actions demonstrate what their words say. We also begin the next level of establishing sustainability in how you work together and the results of the collective team.

In the next two steps, we will continue to build the middle level necessary to sustain the desired outcomes and grow trusting bonds with the team and with others they interact with.

How will you establish that having mutually understood consequences and follow up can be positive reinforcements for creating a culture of accountability?

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