If you’re a boss, you know that holding people accountable can be a real challenge. You’ve probably delegated tasks to someone who promised to handle it—only for “something” to come up. When you follow up, you get a reasonable excuse that’s hard to argue with, and just like that, accountability slips through the cracks.
Accountability Is Essential
This issue is especially common in family businesses. Family members often have the freedom to underperform without serious consequences—because, who wants to fire their sister and risk being the villain at the Thanksgiving dinner? Demotions, pay cuts, or terminations are hardly realistic options, even when performance falls short.
The same applies to key executives. As the boss, reprimanding or letting go of a senior team member might strain relationships or leave you scrambling to find and train a replacement. Many team members recognize this and—whether intentionally or not—test their limits, offering lip service but continuing to do what they prefer.
So, how do you hold people accountable without playing the “bad guy”?
The Power of Peer Accountability
For me, the light bulb went off when I started coaching my sons in soccer. Before that, getting them to follow instructions felt like an uphill battle. My limited toolkit included tactics like banning video games or canceling movie nights. Neither option was particularly effective, and both demanded a draining amount of energy just to enforce.
On the soccer field, however, the dynamic completely shifted. The peer group setting worked like magic—they hated looking bad in front of their teammates. This motivated them to follow instructions far more willingly than they ever did in private.
The same principle applies to workplace teams. When team members hold each other accountable, excuses lose their power—after all, anyone could have equally valid excuses. What truly matters is whether people deliver results.
A practical way to foster this accountability is through structured systems like the Scoreboard Sketcher™, which helps visualize and track metrics for each team member. By presenting performance data in a clear, transparent way, everyone can see who’s meeting expectations and who isn’t—removing the need for subjective judgments or lengthy explanations.
How Level 10 Meetings Work
A proven method to foster accountability is the Level 10 Meeting, a core component of the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS), which is used by over 45,000 small and medium-sized businesses.
In a Level 10 Meeting, participants report on hitting—or missing—their assigned metrics, such as weekly sales, operational goals, and administrative activity targets, collectively called the “Scorecard.” They also share whether they’re on-track or off-track with quarterly objectives, known as “Rocks,” and confirm whether they’ve completed their assigned “To-Do” Items. There’s no room for lengthy explanations—just black-and-white reporting of facts. Any unresolved issues go on an “Issue List,” where the most pressing ones are tackled later in the meeting.
Why Peer Accountability Works
Peer accountability works because people want to look competent and dependable in front of their peers. Excuses quickly lose their appeal—they’re hollow and pointless when the focus is solely on results.
However, don’t expect accountability for metrics, rocks, or tasks that team members didn’t help create. Without buy-in, they’re unlikely to take ownership.
The Bigger Picture
Seventy years ago, Americans spent more than 50% of their time working just to put food on the table. Today, that number has shrunk to less than 7%. As a society, we’ve climbed Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and a paycheck alone no longer satisfies us. We crave meaning and purpose, and we’re willing to go all-in for organizations that provide it.
If you’re the boss, focus your one-on-one time on setting expectations, coaching, and mentoring. Let the team take ownership of accountability—peer pressure works better than any boss-driven reprimand.
What’s your take on peer accountability? Have you tried Level 10 Meetings or implemented tools like the Scoreboard Sketcher to keep your team aligned? Share your experience in the comments—I’d love to hear how you make accountability work in your organization!
