One of the first questions I ask law firm owners, and leaders who come to me for a consultation is, “How are you doing with accountability?” Typically, when leaders are honest with themselves, the answer is either “We could do a lot better,” or “We are terrible at it.” Certainly, it seems like most firms, teams, and leaders struggle with accountability. There are some leaders who believe that they are leading an accountable firm; however, when I talk to the team members, I typically hear a different story – that the firm is not accountable, and that the leader is the biggest part of the problem. Imagine that – the leader’s self-perception does not match the perception of his or her team.
I used to think that these leaders were either delusional or simply not being honest, but I’ve come to realize that many of them are illusional (yes, this is a word I made up) – their perceptions are based upon the illusion of accountability. I wonder – is that true for you?
The core of the accountability illusion is the belief that meeting external deadlines makes your firm accountable. However, there are two fundamental truths this illusion fails to see. First, accountability is a matter of integrity, which means that it’s personal (based upon personal commitments made from one person to another person). It’s not organizational, such as with firm focused deadlines. Second, there’s a difference between doing what you say you’re going to do (accountability) and getting something done for an external deadline. In other words, just because your firm never misses external filing deadlines, doesn’t make your firm or its people accountable.
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For example, the fact that a company files its tax returns on time does not make it accountable. Similarly, the fact that an accounting firm files its clients’ tax returns on time does not mean that the accounting firm has a culture of accountability. The same is true for law firms that meet court or other regulated deadlines. If you’re in a business driven by external deadlines such as submitting bids, the fact that you submit bids on time does not mean that your team members are accountable to each other and for their commitments.
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A better way to say this is to realize that hitting deadlines just means that you somehow manage to get things done – it doesn’t mean that your people can count on each other and trust that they’ll do what they say they’re going to do. Hitting deadlines does not build trust. Honoring your personal commitments (accountability) most definitely builds trust. In fact, it’s the best way to build trust, and the easiest way to lose trust is when you fail to honor your commitments (big or small).
As you seek to improve accountability in your firm and with your team members, instead of focusing on external deadlines to assess your accountability culture (or lack thereof), focus instead on personal commitments. Are they regularly made? Are they clear? Do your people consistently honor their commitments? Do you consistently honor your commitments? Do you and your people take full ownership and responsibility for your choices when you fail to honor those commitments? These are the foundations of an accountable culture and the key to getting past the illusion of accountability.
