The better you’re able to get your teams what they need to succeed and communicate clearly the incentives and metrics that you’re measuring, the higher the likelihood that your team is going to be successful. 

Leaders are accountable to a lot of people, including the members of their team. They need to make sure that they provide the team with the resources they need to deliver on their own goals. Those resources include time, money, approval of initiatives, visibility with senior management, support for whatever the initiative is, and knocking down obstacles. 

A leader’s job is to help the team be successful, and it’s unfair for that leader to ask for results without giving the team the resources they need to succeed. Leaders must also be held accountable for setting their teams up to succeed. Leaders need to face the same consequences if they fail to deliver. If the team fails, the leader has failed, and incentives should follow. Now, if the team succeeds, the leader has succeeded, and everybody should get the right bonus and reward that go along with that performance. Ultimately, a leader is going to build trust between themselves and the members of the team by showing that everyone is in it together.

By breaking down overarching goals into actionable targets for each team, clarity and focus are enhanced, ensuring that everyone understands their role and contribution. Transparent communication of both the consequences and rewards further motivates individuals to strive for excellence and align their efforts towards shared objectives.

When goal-setting and incentive alignment are done collaboratively, team members feel empowered and inspired to give their best effort. This climate is created by leaders. A structure like this promotes teamwork, spurring the group to extraordinary feats and fostering a climate of accountability and success for everybody.

So, as a leader, assess what your team is accountable for and ask them what resources they need to be successful. Then ensure that they have it. If they need a budget, go get them one. If they need you to knock down an obstacle, get to it, because the more you’re able to give them what they need, the higher the likelihood that they’re going to be successful. Next, review the goals and incentives and make sure they roll up. Everybody’s goals should drive toward the same set of outcomes, and everyone should know, “If we hit our goals, here’s the reward, and if we miss, here are the consequences.”

The better you’re able to get your teams what they need to succeed and communicate clearly the incentives and metrics that you’re measuring, the higher the likelihood that your team is going to be successful.