Building a Culture of Accountability
Accountability and transparency have to come from the top down if you also want them to come from the bottom up. While I wouldn’t usually advocate taking a page from parenting in leading a team, the concept of modeling appropriate behavior is useful here. I think one of the most powerful things a leader can do is to acknowledge when they’ve made a mistake.
At FEEA, the staff regularly hears “my bad” “I’m sorry” or “D’oh!”. Not because I’m constantly making big mistakes, but because we all make small errors of inattention, forgetfulness, misunderstanding, or even waking up in a funk, that impact others. If I can acknowledge, apologize, and fix these errors in an open and transparent way, then it’s both good practice for me and a good example for the team. It’s my belief and hope that this leads to everyone taking responsibility for their own mess-ups, being kinder to themselves and others about making mistakes, and treating accountability as the default. I hope we’re fostering an environment where it feels safe to take responsibility for a mistake because it's clear it will be treated as a learning experience.
And if we learn to be accountable and transparent interpersonally, we can use those same skills organizationally to be open and honest with the people we serve. One of the hardest things FEEA has to do is to say “no” to some of the people who apply to our programs, but being open and transparent about why we have to deny a request is a matter of course for us. Similarly, apologizing when we’ve made an error shows our community we’re taking their concerns seriously and holding ourselves accountable to them when we make a mistake.
As a charity, FEEA is also accountable to its donors – the individuals and institutions that support our work monetarily. We stay accountable to them by sharing what we’re working on, who we’re helping, and how our programs operate. Our Board keeps an eye on our work and finances throughout the year, and our financials are independently audited every year, helping to ensure donations are being used for their intended purpose and FEEA is being responsible in the way it handles funds.
Each of these practices helps us build a habit of accountability and transparency, with ourselves, our colleagues, and our community. And I think that benefits everyone.