If more than one person is accountable, there is no one accountable.
In business, we often get busy with daily routines that deviate from where the compass was directing us. In other words, under the pressure of many deadlines and expected and unexpected issues here and there, we end up doing things that we are not supposed to focus on or even do. Even with the right people on the bus, you might confuse who’s responsible for what. That’s why it is always a key to remind yourself and the team who’s accountable, responsible, and/or authorized in doing what and when.
Verne Harnish defines those three vital subjects as the following:
- Accountability: this belongs to the ONE person who can count, trace the progress and give voice (screaming loudly) when issues arise within a defined task, team, function, or division. It doesn’t mean he/she makes all the decisions (or even any) – which is why people often talk about leaderless teams. The rule: If more than one person is accountable, then no one is accountable, and that’s when things fall through the cracks.
- Responsibility: falls to anyone who can respond proactively to support the team. It includes all the people who touch a particular process or issue.
- Authority: this belongs to the person or team with the final decision-making power.
An example that clears those theoretical definitions out is the following:
- A CFO is responsible for sending alerts about cash situations in the organizations, where the CEO is authorized to sign significant expenses affecting cash flow status. Everyone in the company is responsible for ensuring that cash is spent wisely.
