Marketing agency gripes #1: Improving accountability

Is there a bigger battle in digital agencies than accountability?! It’s what seems to divide people; you either have it or you don’t appears to be the general consensus, but for me there’s more to it. To make someone be accountable, you have to make them feel accountable, and to make them feel accountable you have to make them care.

Motivate them – give people a reason to care. Make them feel like the work you do as a company matters; make sure they see the positive results, inspire them to want to do their very best, and create something they want to be a part of. Then make sure they understand the importance of their role within this, and how crucial it is. Let them know how they as an individual fit into your future plans. When people take pride in their work, they care more about the outcome, and this ultimately creates more accountability.

Let people in – if it feels like people don’t seem to understand the importance of their work, or lack a sense of urgency, it may be simply that they don’t see the urgency. The closer you are to the running of a business, the easier it is to draw the lines between your actions and the health of your business. If you don’t let people in, you can’t expect them to care as much as you. If you keep a distance between them and the inner circle, you have to expect that that distance may extend to the work they do.

Give them direct access to your clients – it’s a risky one, but when someone doesn’t have a direct relationship with a client, it’s so much easier to be detached. To not worry about replying to that email until tomorrow, to have a relaxed attitude towards deadlines. When they are responsible to the client rather than (or as well as) you, it makes people think twice, especially when they see first-hand how it affects their client’s business.

Make expectations clear – all too often, a lack of accountability comes from a lack of clarity around roles. When no one person is responsible for a client, or when an email comes through to more than one individual, it’s human nature that people expect someone else to take on the responsibility. Remove all ambiguity and have conversations over who is responsible for what so that everyone is clear. 

Accountability doesn’t have to mean blame – when you’re on the receiving end, it can feel like accountability is just another word for blame, so if it feels like people are reluctant to take it on, that might be why. Flip it round, show that accountability can be about taking the credit for a job well done too – knowing who to recognise when the results come in. Accountability should be more about taking ownership that having someone to point the finger at when things go wrong.

Get the right people – people who take pride in their work, and make them your priority. Not everyone has it in them to be accountable. You can encourage people to be, show them how, be the best manager you can, and still not see a sense of accountability. The key is in seeing where to draw the line, and not simply assuming that you have to take on the responsibility they failed to, as that will simply lead to frustration and burnout.

I’ve never owned an agency before, but I’ve listened to the frustrations of those who have, and managed teams of my own, and feel like sometimes the accountability battle is one that’s more easily solved than you think if you flip your perspective.