Creating a Culture of Accountability: Steve Jobs vs. Elon Musk
Are you struggling to get your team to take responsibility for their work?
In today's fast paced, ever changing workforce, managing accountability can be a daunting task for managers.
Whether it's missed deadlines, lack of ownership, or poor communication, these challenges can severely impact your team's performance.
That's why in this episode, we're going to dive into how you can overcome these obstacles and build a culture of accountability within your team.
Hey, everyone, and welcome back to my channel. I'm Doug Howard, and I'm a leadership coach and consultant. I use this channel to share weekly insights, tools and stories to help managers like you level up your leadership skills.
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The Importance of Accountability
First, let's define what we mean by accountability because it's a broad term that gets overused and misused. To me, accountability is about ensuring that every team member is responsible for their actions and their contribution towards the team's goals. A culture of accountability leads to higher productivity, better team morale, and improved overall performance. The key is making sure that you and everyone are on the same page and moving towards the same goal.
Now, before we talk about creating that culture of accountability, let's talk about the common challenges that come with holding people on your team accountable.
Common Challenges in Accountability
These challenges often fall into one of three categories.
The first one is missed deadlines. This is a frequent issue, especially today. It typically results from unclear expectations or a lack of commitment from the other person. When team members aren't sure what's expected of them, or they don't feel accountable for their tasks, deadlines obviously slip.
The second category is lack of ownership. Sometimes team members don't take full ownership of their work, and they might feel that their individual contributions don't matter, which leads to disengagement and a lack of responsibility.
The third category is poor communication. Effective communication is crucial for accountability. Without clear, open lines of communication, misunderstandings and mistakes are inevitable. When team members don't feel comfortable voicing concerns or asking questions, accountability suffers.
5 Pillars of Creating Accountability Culture
These problems often stem from unclear goals, lack of feedback, and a disconnect between team members and leadership. But how do we tackle these challenges?
Throughout the rest of this episode, we're going to walk through the five pillars of creating accountability on your team. But doing this the right way as a delicate balance, so we're going to compare how Steve jobs did this the right way. Then we're going to compare how Elon Musk sometimes does this the wrong way.
Pillar 1 - Setting Clear Expectations
Pillar one is setting clear expectations. The first step in building a culture of accountability is setting clear expectations. You need to make sure your team knows exactly what's expected from them in terms of performance, behavior, and deadlines.
Now here's the wrong way to do this. Elon Musk sometimes sets expectations that are unrealistic and unclear. He creates a very high pressure environment, which can lead to high turnover and burnout among employees. For instance, his ambitious timelines for Tesla's production goals often left employees overwhelmed and uncertain about what their priorities are.
On the other hand, let's take a look at the right way to do it. At Apple, Steve Jobs set very clear expectations for his team. He communicated his vision and his strategy very effectively, which helped align his team and drive them towards a common goal. During the development of the first iPhone, Steve Jobs was very explicit about the product's specifications, deadlines, and quality standards, which ensured that everyone knew exactly what he expected.
You might not be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, but here's how you can put this pillar into practice. Instead of saying vague things to your team like, do your best, specify what best looks like in terms of measurable terms. Clear and actionable goals make it easier for everyone to understand their roles.
Additionally, you can use tools like job descriptions, project plans, and performance metrics to clarify expectations even further. When you do this, don't just start there and stop. Regularly revisit these expectations to ensure that they remain relevant and aligned with the team's objectives.
Pillar 2 - Providing Consistent Feedback
Pillar two is providing consistent feedback. Consistent feedback is crucial. Conducting regular check ins help you stay updated on progress, and it helps you address any issues early on before they grow too big for you to solve. These can be weekly meetings or brief daily check ins, whichever works for your team and you.
Here's the wrong way to do this, though. Elon Musk goes about doing this the absolute wrong way. He's known for giving abrupt and harsh feedback, which has the opposite impact that he wants. He's trying to motivate his team and get them to move faster but what he actually accomplishes is he demotivates the team and he creates a culture of fear rather than accountability. For example, Elon's public criticism of his employees during Tesla's Model 3 production crisis led to a stressful and demoralizing work environment within Tesla.
On the other hand, let's take a look at the right way to do it. Steve Jobs is known for providing regular and constructive feedback to his team. He acknowledged their efforts and guided them on how to improve, creating a supportive and accountable culture. During the development of the Macintosh, Jobs held regular meetings to review progress and provide clear and direct feedback while also motivating his team with his vision.
Now for you, when providing feedback, focus on being constructive. Do this by highlighting what's going well and where there's room for improvement. But when you're doing this, make sure you're using specific examples to illustrate your points. Make feedback a two way conversation by encouraging team members to share their thoughts and concerns with you as well. This not only helps you understand their perspective, but it also makes them feel heard and valued, which is really important for creating a culture of accountability.
If you're looking for more tips in this area, you should check out my free mini masterclass on Mastering Constructive Feedback. In this free training, you're going to learn a simple framework for delivering effective feedback to anyone, whether it's a direct report, your boss, your kids, or your spouse. You're going to learn how to disarm the other person's emotions so that they don't take it personal when you're giving them the feedback. Then you're going to learn how to adapt your message that it resonates with the other person and it actually inspires them to take action.
I've been delivering this training as a paid workshop to companies for years, but now I'm giving it away to you for free. If you want to gain access to my free mini masterclass on Mastering Constructive Feedback, click HERE.
Pillar 3 - Fostering a Sense of Ownership
Pillar three is fostering a sense of ownership. Encourage your team to take ownership of their tasks. Empower them to make decisions and take initiative. This not only boosts their confidence, but it also reinforces their accountability.
Here's the wrong way to do this. On the outside, Elon Musk likes to give the impression that he is all about innovation and creativity, but he counteracts this with his micromanagement style. In fact, his micromanagement style has been known to stifle creativity. While he's trying to motivate his team, what he actually does is he motivates his team to take less ownership of their work, which leads to decrease the accountability throughout his team. Elon Musk's hands on approach in overseeing all the minute details of the Model 3 production caused massive delays and frustration amongst his team.
On the other hand, let's take a look at the right way to do it. Steve Jobs is known for empowering his team by trusting them to make decisions and trusting them to take charge of their responsibilities. He was known for pushing decision making downwards that the best ideas would come to the surface. Creating this sense of ownership boosted his team's confidence. It assured that they were accountable for their actions because they were making their own decisions. They would follow through with making sure that they got things done the right way. For example, Jobs gave the Macintosh team a great deal of autonomy, which fostered innovation and accountability within the team.
If you want to foster a sense of ownership, make sure you're delegating tasks and responsibilities appropriately throughout your team. Give your team the authority to make decisions related to their work. Encourage them to take initiative and provide support when they need it. Recognize and reward responsible behavior as well. When team members see that accountability is valued and rewarded, they're going to be more likely to adopt this mindset.
On this topic, delegation is one of the most critical skills for you as a leader, because it empowers your team and it's the only way for you to literally gain time back in your day. If you want to learn a simple way to master the art of delegation, check out my episode called Delegate Anything In Five Simple Steps.
Pillar 4 - Creating an Open and Trusting Environment
Pillar four is creating an open and trusting environment. Transparency and trust are key. You need to create an environment where team members feel safe to voice concerns, admit mistakes, and ask for help.
Elon Musk goes about this the wrong way because he's known for having volatile reactions to mistakes. All he does is he creates an environment where employees are afraid to speak up. When he does this, it undermines trust and accountability throughout the entire culture. For example, his well known public criticism of employees on social media has caused a lot of fear and insecurity amongst his team.
Steve Jobs, on the other hand, was known for fostering a culture of openness and trust at Apple. He encouraged his team to voice their concerns and admit their mistakes without fear of retribution, which only strengthened accountability and ownership throughout his team. Jobs was known for his ability to listen and his ability to incorporate the feedback you received from his team during the development of new products and doing this help create a collaborative and trusting environment.
For you, to create an open and trusting environment, you want to encourage open communication and actively listen to your team. Make sure you're showing empathy and showing that you understand when they voice their concerns or admit their mistakes. Provide the resources and training they need to succeed. Show them that you're invested in their development and their success.
Pillar 5 - Addressing Accountability Issues
Pillar five, addressing accountability issues. Identify and address accountability issues promptly and directly. If someone consistently fails to meet expectations, have a one on one conversation with them to understand the root cause.
Elon Musk does this the wrong way because he often reacts impulsively to accountability issues. When he does this, it creates a culture of blame rather than a culture of constructive problem solving. Again, for example, his public firings of employees during meetings have created a climate of fear.
Steve Jobs on the other hand, he addressed accountability issues with a balance of firmness and understanding. He sought to understand the root cause and he worked with his team to develop the solutions. During the early days of Apple, Jobs is known for having tough, but fair conversations with underperforming employees to help them improve versus giving up on them and pushing them away.
When addressing accountability issues, approach the conversation with empathy and a problem solving mindset. Ask questions to understand the root cause of the issue and then work together to develop an action plan. This might involve additional training, reassignment of tasks, or more frequent check ins. The goal is to support the team member in improving their performance while also maintaining accountability.
Building a culture of accountability takes time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it so you should make this investment in your team. When you set clear expectations and you provide consistent feedback, as well as foster a sense of ownership and create a supportive environment, you can enhance accountability within your team, which is only going to increase efficiency, productivity, and morale.
If you want more ideas on how to boost accountability within your team, check out my episode called How To Motivate An Underperforming Direct Report In One Conversation.
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