Everyone wants these two things:
- Freedom
- Accountability
At first, these may seem to conflict with one another. But as a leader, it’s important to know that people you lead DO want and need both.
Freedom refers to the flexibility someone has for getting to the desired or expected result.
Accountability helps everyone be clear on who, does what, by when. It provides a critical feed-back loop so people know if they are succeeding or need to improve in certain areas.
Too much freedom can lead to chaos and a lack of systems and consistency for your team, your clients, and your partners. Too much accountability will be viewed as micro-managing and even appear as a lack of trust.
Finding a good balance that includes both is the key to happy team members, clients, and business partners.
