Holding a Team Member Accountable

C.U.B.E. for Conflict

To learn more about CUBE and how to use, please view the CUBE Overview

Best Practices for Holding a Team Member Accountable

  • Share your support for the other person’s success and your commitment to a powerful working relationship.
  • Assume positive intent.
  • Request a conversation to discuss a commitment that you believe was missed and to collaborate more effectively.

C

REATE CONTEXT & OBJECTIVES

  • Get shared reality about the commitment that was made and whether it was missed.  
  • Ask them to share what happened. Listen and paraphrase. Appreciate the other person’s view even if it’s inaccurate.
  • Take responsibility for any role you might have had in the outcome.
  • Ask them to take responsibility for their role.
  • Share the impact of missing the commitment and the importance of next steps.
  • Share your assessments and concerns.

NDERSTAND EACH OTHER’S WORLDS… THEIR WORLD FIRST

U

  • Address the situation and explore what support they need to fulfill the commitment.  
  • Discuss how you can monitor progress moving forward.
  • Discuss learnings and how to collaborate more effectively moving forward.

B

RAINSTORM OPTIONS

  • Decide and fully align on clear next steps. What will be different?
  • Agree to corrective actions and support structures to ensure it is not repeated.
  • Create a clear timeline to get back on track and how you will communicate. Ensure that you feel confident about the commitment and communication moving forward.
  • Reconfirm your support for the other person. Work as a team to be successful.

E

ND WITH COMMITMENTS

Common Mistakes for Holding a Team Accountable

  • Assuming the issue will get better with time.
  • Coming into the conversation with a one-sided story without checking your assumptions.
  • Creating a mood of blame, anger or a poor mood, rather than a future-looking mood of support.

C

REATE CONTEXT & OBJECTIVES

  • Not checking your assumptions.
  • Sharing interpretations as if they were facts.
  • Making generalizations about the person’s attitude, performance, etc.
  • Assuming it’s all them and you haven’t contributed.
  • Not empathizing with their perspective, obstacles or views.

NDERSTAND EACH OTHER’S WORLDS… THEIR WORLD FIRST

U

  • Not putting any measures in place for support.
  • Not discussing how to collaborate more effectively moving forward.

B

RAINSTORM OPTIONS

  • Ending the conversation without clear agreements.
  • Ending without expressing support and appreciation.

E

ND WITH COMMITMENTS

View the Cube Prep Sheet in Google Doc.

How did you do with having this conversation?

View the Post-Conversation Self Assessment.