I work with a lot of winners.

But even winners realize they can improve.

In an executive coaching session last week with a CEO, the topic turned to accountability in the workplace and this CEO knew that he had been allowing some of his colleagues to get away with underperformance.

The key to accountability is not fault-finding. The key to accountability is clarity.

That’s why strategic planning is so important. The process brings clarity to the objectives the team says it wants to achieve. The process also brings clarity to identifying Who will do What by When and for what expected outcome. The plan becomes a contract.

When you and your team are clear on the objectives and individual responsibilities for helping achieve the objectives, your colleagues have a choice. People can choose to do what they’re asked to do and reap the rewards. Or they can choose to not do what they’re asked to do and suffer the penalties.

It’s their choice. Your role as the leader is to administer the rewards or penalties fitting their performance.