Most leaders say they hold others accountable. The reality is that far too few leaders practice it well. For some leaders, results are the sole measuring stick for success. It is common for team members who deliver the best results to be usually ignored and periodically rewarded, even if the behaviors that led to those results were shady or worse.

This dynamic can quickly lead to an unhealthy – or even toxic – work culture of “every woman and every man for themselves.”

Our research shows that, worldwide, accountability for results has been inconsistent over the past 35 years. The issues that contribute to inconsistent performance accountability include:

• The absence of clear performance expectations or poorly defined expectations,
• Team members lacking the skills, training, or tools needed to meet expectations,
• Little to no routine monitoring or check-ins, and
• The inability – or unwillingness – of leaders to coach team members to excellence for their performance expectations.

Accountability for respect (values expectations – how people treat each other) also varies, ranging from inconsistent to nonexistent. Our research found that these four flaws contribute to inconsistent respect accountability:

• The absence of defined values or poorly defined values expectations without observable, tangible, measurable behaviors,
• Little to no regular assessment of leaders or team members’ demonstration of defined valued behaviors,
• The inability – or unwillingness – of leaders to coach team members to excellence for values expectations, and
• Leaders’ widespread proclivity for tolerating fellow leaders’ and team members’ toxic behaviors.

The accountability model from our Amazon bestselling book, Good Comes First, establishes a proven, reliable system that provides a common language and builds shared accountability.

This model outlines a requirement for leaders to serve as role models for results and respect, to hold themselves and team members accountable both for results and respect, and to effectively use the tools to help leaders and team members model their organization’s values (respect) and performance (results) expectations.

The accountability model includes five practices – model, coach, measure, celebrate, and mentor. Each practice is organic, independent, and non-sequential. Organic means the need to apply a practice will emerge spontaneously and naturally; leaders must be ready and willing when they see the need for an accountability practice. Independent means leaders won’t be applying multiple practices at once; they will apply the practice that addresses the most pressing issue. Non-sequential means the practices don’t need to be applied “in order;” each practice is applied when needed.

Let’s take a closer look at these five practices.

The model practice requires proactive demonstration of the desired valued behaviors that are the foundation of your ideal workplace culture.

The coach practice requires individualized guidance and validation that aligns team members to your valued behaviors while they drive expected results.

The measure practice requires regular assessment of the degree to which leaders and team members demonstrate your specified valued behaviors in daily interactions. Just as you measure traction on expected results, this practice ensures you measure traction on expected respect.