IT Leadership

IT leaders have the responsibility of not only leading the vision of an IT department but also leading a team of professionals to achieve that vision. This article aims to guide new IT leaders on how to effectively lead a team, with a focus on holding others accountable. We will dive into the steps to hold others accountable, the consequences of not holding others accountable and tips for new IT leaders on cultivating the skill of leadership.

The Top Priority of Leadership: Lead Yourself First

Before you can effectively lead a team, you must learn to lead yourself. Leading yourself means possessing self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and empathy. These skills will enable you to understand your feelings, emotions and behaviors and how they affect you and those around you.

Self-leadership is about knowing your values and your goals and having the discipline to behave in alignment with those values and goals, despite external circumstances. It means understanding your emotions, and your triggers and having the self-control to respond mindfully rather than react mindlessly.

Leading yourself requires a deep understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, your vulnerabilities, your motivations, and your fears. It demands that you confront your weaknesses and take proactive steps to develop strengths and address development opportunities. Unless you have mastered leading yourself, it will be challenging to gain the respect of your team and hold others accountable.

The Leadership Journey: 3 Steps to Holding Others Accountable

Holding others accountable can be a challenging skill to develop. IT leaders must balance providing direction and support to enable their teams to be successful while holding them accountable to deliver outcomes. The sidebar below outlines the three steps you will need to take to hold others accountable.

1. Set Clear Expectations and Goals

If you can’t clearly define what you expect from your team, it will be challenging to hold them accountable. Setting clear expectations requires clearly communicating the outcomes you expect from your team and defining the metrics that will be used to assess success against those expectations.

By doing so, you will ensure that you and your team are aligned on what success looks like and can clearly track whether or not expectations are being met. Setting clear expectations also requires defining the scope of responsibility for each team member or group and the authority they have to make decisions to fulfill these expectations.

Only after these expectations are clearly defined can you hold others accountable for their commitments.

2. Regularly Check-In

IT leaders are typically busy, being pulled in multiple directions at any given time; however, it is imperative to set time regularly (e.g., weekly or biweekly) to check in with your team to review progress against expectations and goals.

These meetings are an opportunity to review metrics, address any blockers, and provide feedback and support to your team. Regular check-ins allow you to course-correct if expectations are not being met or priorities have changed. It also demonstrates to your team that you are supportive and willing to help them succeed.

This step will also build trust with your team, allowing you to have more difficult conversations as needed when expectations are not being met.

3. Give Feedback and Have Difficult Conversations

IT leaders often struggle with giving constructive feedback and having difficult conversations with their team. These are indeed challenging conversations to have, but they are necessary to hold others accountable and to support the growth and development of your team.

Feedback should be given regularly and promptly when expectations are not being met. It is crucial to prioritize timely feedback so that the behavior or situation can be corrected while it is still relevant, and the feedback is meaningful.

Giving constructive feedback requires providing specific examples, being honest and respectful, and focusing on the impact of the behavior or outcome on the team or broader organization.

When having difficult conversations, it is imperative to maintain control of your emotions, focus on facts and be prepared to listen and seek to understand. These conversations require practice and honing your emotional intelligence to be effective.

The Consequences of Not Holding Others Accountably

Not holding others accountable can have several negative consequences for both the IT leader and the team.

1. It Undermines the Leader’s Reputation and Credibility

By not holding others accountable, especially if there is a pattern of broken commitments, others will begin to doubt the leader’s credibility and willingness to manage the team effectively. Word will spread that the team is not delivering, and external stakeholders may begin to question the leader’s reputation and the team’s ability to deliver outcomes.

This will also lead to a loss of trust in the leader, which will be challenging to regain. Employees may feel that the leader is not supportive or fair if only some team members are held accountable while others are not.

2. It Signals to the Team That Accountability is Optional

When leaders don’t hold team members accountable, they signal that accountability is optional, and expectations do not need to be taken seriously. This can lead to a severe decline in team performance and results.

Team members may become frustrated with each other if they are upholding their commitments but experiencing blockers due to other team members not delivering on their commitments. It can create a toxic culture of finger-pointing and placing blame, destroying trust and respect among team members.

3. It Prevents Growth and Development

Not holding others accountable is ultimately a disservice to the team member. It prevents them from being aware of areas where they need to improve and from taking corrective action to develop in their role.

Holding others accountable is part of a leader’s responsibility to develop their team and grow their skills and abilities. By not having difficult conversations or providing feedback on areas of weakness, leaders prevent their team from reaching their full potential.

Tips for New IT Leaders: Cultivating the Skill of Leadership

There are several skills and behaviors that can help new IT leaders cultivate the skill of leadership, particularly in holding others accountable.

1. Be a Role Model

As a leader, you are being watched by your team whether you like it or not. They will look to you as an example of how to behave in the workplace, how to react to challenges, and how to manage their emotions.

Make sure that you are modeling the behaviors that you want to see in your team. If you want your team to be accountable, demonstrate what that looks like by holding yourself accountable and honor your commitments, even when it is difficult to do so.

2. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a skill that enables leaders to be fully present and aware of their thoughts and emotions and manage them effectively. It helps leaders respond mindfully rather than react mindfully to triggers and emotions.

Practice being mindful of your thoughts and feelings and how you respond to challenges and difficult conversations. Being mindful enables you to manage your emotions more effectively, make thoughtful decisions, and communicate with respect and consideration.

3. Develop Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand your emotions and the emotions of others and use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.

IT leaders with high emotional intelligence can manage their emotions effectively, navigate social complexities, and have productive difficult conversations. They can also understand their own weaknesses and develop strengths better and be more open to feedback.

4. Seek First to Understand

Stephen Covey, in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, emphasizes seeking first to understand and then to be understood. This skill is essential for IT leaders to cultivate effective communication with their team and understand the perspectives and motivations of their team members.

When holding others accountable, seek first to understand why expectations may not be met and what factors may be contributing to this. Showing empathy and actively listening to your team will create a safer environment for open and honest communication.

5. Be Willing to Invest in Your Team’s Success

IT leaders who want to cultivate the skill of leadership need to be willing to invest in the development of their teams. This requires coaching and mentoring team members, providing them with opportunities to increase their capacity and take on new responsibilities, and giving timely and specific feedback.

Investing in the success of your team builds trust and fosters a culture of accountability. Team members will feel more supported and will be more receptive to feedback and constructive conversations.

6. Learn to Let Go

Lastly, learn to let go of what you can’t control. You can’t control the behaviors of others, and you can’t force your team to be accountable. You can only lead and guide them and create an environment that motivates them to want to be accountable.

Focusing on what you can control, such as setting clear expectations, leading by example, and providing support and feedback when needed, will help you let go of the things you can’t control.

Conclusion

IT leadership can be incredibly rewarding, and learning to hold others accountable is a critical skill to develop as you progress in your career. Remember that leadership begins with leading yourself; develop your self-awareness, motivation, and empathy to lead yourself and effectively hold your team accountable.

Holding others accountable requires clearly defined expectations and regular check-ins to review progress against those expectations. It also requires giving constructive feedback and having difficult conversations when expectations are not being met.

Avoiding not holding others accountable can result in a decline in team performance and a loss of reputation and credibility for the IT leader. Remember the skills and behaviors to cultivate the skill of leadership and step into your leadership with confidence, accountability, and humility.