One Thing All Founders Can Do to Make Their Team Accountable

One common complaint among startup founders is that their team isn’t accountable to them. Obviously, there could be many reasons why this is the case. But the one thing that all founders can do to make their teams more accountable is to hold themselves accountable to their teams.

Whenever a founder complains that their team isn’t accountable, the first question I always ask them is how accountable they are to their team. Even if the founder is the leader of the company and the one calling the shots, being accountable is always a two-way street. It must go both ways at all times.

In the past, I’ve met founders who don’t always show up for meetings and don’t make themselves available to their team. If someone on the team has a question, they aren’t sure if they can get an answer from the founder or even reach them. This is the type of founder who isn’t accountable to their team.

To be fair, a lot of founders can be hard to pin down. They are always busy and are often pulled in multiple directions. But as a founder, if your team needs you and depends on you for answers, you have to be available to provide those answers. It’s impossible to operate otherwise because then nobody is being held accountable.

The one thing all founders can do to make themselves accountable is to stick to any commitments they’ve made to their team. This can be as simple as scheduling one-on-one time with team members or being available for office hours. This ensures that a founder is available and accountable. In turn, it allows them to hold their team accountable.

If doing this is difficult, it might be time to find an assistant who can help a founder organize their time better and keep them on schedule. That way, they won’t be missing meetings, showing up late, or making it impossible for team members to track them down when they have a question. This might be the only way to keep commitments and remain accountable.

The issue isn’t that founders need to be disciplined and available at all times. Such expectations are unrealistic for most founders. The issue is that the founder is setting an example for others to follow. If they aren’t accountable, their team won’t be accountable either. Thus, the best way for any founder to make their team accountable is to make sure they are always accountable themselves.

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