The Accountability Paradox
The accountability chart was perfect. Every role clearly defined, every role mapped, every reporting relationship crystal clear. But six months after implementation, the CEO was puzzled by an unexpected problem as people were hitting their numbers but avoiding honest conversations about real challenges.
This illustrates one of the most counterintuitive principles in organizational development. The best accountability comes from co-creation and trust, not reporting and tracking.
Most operating systems approach accountability as a measurement problem. Create clear expectations regarding metrics, track performance regularly, and hold people responsible for results. This makes logical sense, but it misses a crucial human element: people only share their real challenges with people they trust.
Without trust, accountability systems create what I call "performance theater" in that people learn to manage their metrics rather than improve their results. They focus on looking good rather than being effective.
Consider how this plays out:
Problem Hiding Over Problem Solving: When people don't trust that honesty (including dissent) will be met with support, they become experts at managing around problems rather than surfacing them. Issues get hidden until they become crises.
Metric Gaming Over Mission Focus: When accountability feels punitive, people protect their ‘turf’ and optimize for the measurement rather than the outcome. They hit their numbers while missing the point.
Individual Protection Over Team Performance: Without trust, accountability becomes about defending yourself (CYA) rather than improving collectively. People focus on covering their responsibilities rather than ensuring team success.
Supercharge reverses this dynamic by building what Norman calls "accountable relationships" - connections where people feel safe to be honest about challenges because they trust the response will be helpful rather than harsh.
Here's how trust-based accountability works differently:
Preemptive Communication: When people trust their leaders and teammates they raise concerns early rather than waiting for problems to surface in metrics. This enables more effective and proactive problem-solving.
Collaborative Problem-Solving: Instead of individual performance reviews about the past, challenges become team conversations. People ask for help for the future rather than making excuses for the past.
Learning-Focused Feedback: When trust is high, feedback becomes a tool for growth rather than judgment. People seek input because they feel psychologically safe and know it's intended to help them succeed.
Collective Ownership: Trust enables people to take responsibility not just for their individual performance but for team outcomes. Success becomes shared rather than individual competition.
I recently observed this difference at two similar companies. Both had implemented the same operating system with comparable initial results. But Company A had built trust first, while Company B had jumped straight to implementing the operating system.
In Company A's leadership meetings, people proactively shared challenges, asked for resources, and offered help to teammates who were struggling. The conversation was focused, through psychological safety, on solving problems and improving performance.
In Company B's meetings, people defended their numbers, explained why problems weren't their fault, and competed for recognition. The energy was protective rather than productive.
The long-term results were striking. Company A continued improving their performance and adapting their system. Company B plateaued after initial gains and virtually abandoned the operating system altogether.
The trust-first approach is simply more sustainable.
Build trust before tracking—discover the Supercharge approach to real accountability.
Next week: We'll explore how culture and systems integration creates the best of both worlds.
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