Accountability is a rare skill in the world of business. In today's world, especially when large organizations work in silos and tasks get shunned from one department to another, people are quick to say 'none of my business'. The same behavior in a small or growing startup can spell doom for the business.

Accountability is a personal decision and a choice that stems from self-confidence and determination to see through outcomes. While it is not something that is in-built, we can certainly try to become better, and more accountable.

If you are an entrepreneur building a growing business, you must hold yourself accountable to all your stakeholders 

1. It starts with one step

Do not expect everyone around you to be accountable if you arent yourself. If you are the one often complaining about your workload, deadlines, competitors, etc then you are setting up an environment around you that has similar characteristics. Reinforce positivity, responsibility, and results.

2. Remove ambiguity

You need to clarify your expectations by being objective about the outcomes and reinforce it from time to time. Help your team understand what the goals are and how will they be achieved. Keep communicating effectively on a regular basis to remove gaps.

3. Set measurable goals and targets

Accountability can be enforced only via objective facts, not just by opinions or ambitions. Set ambitious targets, but do not set targets beyond the realm of possibilities, or keep changing them frequently. Help your team measure their objectives and results. A good book for this would be Measure What Matters.

4. Have an alignment of interest

Your team should be aligned with their departmental goals and organizational goals. If you are launching in 5 days, your product development team can not have an unrealistic target of adding 10 new functional features in that time. Align targets with larger goals - this will help your company stay on track while making the team satisfied by their contributions.

5. Delegate well

Accountability comes with freedom and authority. If you make all decisions yourself, the team does not have the chance to be accountable.

6. Seek open feedback

Seek feedback without any strings attached. Start with why a certain problem happened, and avoid the blame-game. Accountable people need to feel safe in an environment where both challenges and performance can be discussed without feeling attacked. The goal is continuous learning, and not accusations and reprimands.

The best part about accountability is that once ingrained, it leads to change, focus, and learning. These characteristics are vital for people to be entrepreneurial. And being entrepreneurial is the only way to ensure the growth of self and the startup!