No successful team wins without accountability."Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all time thing" -- Vince LombardiA number of separate discussions this week on my end got me thinking about this quote from the great NFL head coach and leader, Vince Lombardi. Particularly how the same absolutely applies to accountability. Now long time readers will recall that the topic of accountability has been discussed a few times here in the past. I just felt it might be a good time to quickly revisit the topic and expand on my thoughts on it in this preamble.Accountability is not a sometime thing. It HAS TO BE an all time thing for any organization, team, partnership or system to work and be successful.This simply means that in order to have a cohesive, winning, growing, successful culture, you cannot pick and choose when and to whom accountability conveniently applies. Nor can you have just one person be in charge of it. So, for example....If a sales person forecasts that they will close a certain amount of business in a quarter, they need to honor that commitment and meet that forecast.If a product person agrees to a product release date, they need to get the product released to market on time.If a marketing person promises sales enablement materials to help a sales team hit their goals, they need to get them the proper tools so the goals are met.If a finance person is in charge of ensuring the company hits its annual financial plan, they need to deliver the plan on budget.If a CEO writes a public open letter espousing their company's commitment to social initiatives, the CEO needs to mean it, and lead to ensure the initiatives happen and stick.In the event that these things do not happen, each of these people should expect to be held accountable. ALL OF THE TIME. No excuses. It is that simple.Accountability could come in a lot of forms: it could simply result in a change in expectations going forward, it could require further assessment, training or more resources, it could include some form of admonishment, or even ending in the person losing their job. Even when it is inconvenient, difficult or messy, accountability can NEVER become a sometime thing for any organization. Once that is allowed to happen, it quickly becomes a less frequent occurrence. It erodes trust. It promotes finger pointing. It prioritizes politics over results.And in winning cultures, it is not just the certain people that are responsible for holding others accountable -- IT IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY. ALL OF THE TIME. Calls for accountability should be welcomed, not silenced.Think about the most successful teams you have come across and respect. What role does accountability play with them? My bet is, like winning, you will find that accountability within these cultures is consistently a defining value and an all time thing....I included a bunch of good articles for you this week -- a few involved ones, but nothing too long. And to all of the Dads out there, I hope you are able to take some time to kick back with your beverage of choice, relax, play some favorite tunes, watch some classic movies, and enjoy your Father's Day. Have a good one!XOXODave