An accountability team is a group of leaders who meet regularly to share honest feedback and hold one another accountable. Because they know each other, they’re open to a dynamic exchange of ideas, fresh ideas, and confrontational feedback to strengthen each leader’s ability to navigate complex decisions.
Accountability teams can be external to the company (e.g., CEOs of different companies and different industries) or internal (e.g., leaders of different products, services, geographic division). These differences enable them to provide 4 key benefits:
- Clarity on the leader’s role. We wear many hats; the challenge is to allocate time to focus on the most important issues in the long-term as well as now.
- Strengthen Decision-making. With high-stakes decisions based often on incomplete information, we need to build these muscles: that means exercising them with “deliberate practice”
- Forge trusting relationships. Valuable feedback needs to be given and received for accountability and growth.
- Develop the skills necessary to develop teams that are aligned, collaborative and supportive of each other and the group as a whole.
For 68 years, Vistage Worldwide has been helping CEOs and the executives who lead their companies to hold themselves and others accountable for success. Dunn & Bradstreet compares Vistage companies to non-members and finds that Vistage members grow 2.2X faster, by using its 4-services ecosystem.
Making the most effective decisions IS the job of a CEO.