The Accountability Advantage: Better Care and Stronger Performance in Senior Living

Unfortunately, scenes like this happen far too often. Whenaccountability is absent, small lapses like an unanswered call light or amissed chart entry can snowball into bigger problems. If no one clearly owns atask, it often falls through the cracks, and in a care environment, that meansresidents may not get what they need, and team morale takes a significant hit. 

Avoidance of accountability is a well-known teamdysfunction. Patrick Lencioni, in his renowned model of team performance,identified it as one of the five core dysfunctions that can undermine even thebest teams. In practice, even well-intentioned senior living teams can falterif members fail to hold themselves and each other accountable for theircommitments.

Small lapses accumulate, tasks slip through the cracks,standards erode, and high performers grow resentful of colleagues who don’tpull their weight. Ultimately, unresolved accountability gaps undercut the verymission of senior care organizations, which is to deliver consistent,high-quality care to residents. 

As a senior living executive, I’ve witnessed firsthand how a lack of accountability can quietly take root even in caring, professionalteams, jeopardizing both employee morale and resident outcomes. This articleexamines the real cost of avoiding accountability and outlines how senior livingleaders can cultivate a culture where commitments are clear, responsibilitiesare owned at every level, and everyone holds themselves accountable for theirpart in the team’s success.

I’ll explore why avoiding accountability is so harmful,look at a real example of how bringing back accountability transformed acommunity, and discuss concrete strategies to build an accountability culturethat drives better care and stronger business results. 

The High Cost of AvoidingAccountability 

It may be common, but avoiding accountability has severeconsequences for an organization. In fact, research indicates that more than80% of managers struggle with holding employees accountable. On the other hand,91% of employees say better accountability is one of their company’s top needsin leadership development. When accountability is lacking, team performance andworkplace culture suffer in multiple ways: 

Missed Deadlines and Mediocre Performance: Without accountability, even clear goals can go unmet. Team memberswill come to assume that there are no real consequences to missing a deadlineor delivering subpar work. Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni observes thatteams avoiding accountability often miss deadlines and deliver mediocreresults. Similarly, an Executive Agenda analysis notes that a lack ofaccountability “encourages mediocrity” and leads team members to shirkthe high standards they might otherwise uphold. Over time, this norm ofmediocrity drags down overall performance and productivity. In a senior livingcontext, missed deadlines or lapses in performance could mean delayed responsesto resident needs, incomplete care plans, or other quality issues that directlyimpact those in our care. 

Resentment and Low Morale: Nothingbreeds resentment among employees faster than when some colleagues consistentlyfail to do their part and are not held accountable. Team members who carryextra weight grow frustrated with those who chronically underperform. InLencioni’s model, this dynamic is toxic to team cohesion; people start to feelit’s “not fair” and may either reduce their own effort or leave the team.Executive coaches also observe that a lack of accountability creates resentmentand places an unfair burden on leaders to discipline or pick up the slack. Overtime, morale plummets as committed employees see others getting away with lesseffort. In a senior living community, for example, if a few nurses regularlyskip required documentation and their peers or supervisors must always coverfor them, frustration will mount. High performers may disengage or eventransfer rather than tolerate a culture where mediocrity is allowed. 

Decreased Engagement and Trust: A sustained lack of accountability erodes the trust that underpinseffective teams. When people don’t do what they promised and face norepercussions, coworkers stop relying on them, or anyone, to follow through.Trust among teammates is replaced by cynicism, which in turn crushes employeeengagement. Studies of workplace culture have found that a lack ofaccountability is associated with low team morale, unclear priorities, unmetgoals, and high staff turnover. In essence, when no one is accountable, peoplementally check out. It’s no surprise that such environments see higher staff turnover;employees disengage and eventually leave for organizations where they candepend on colleagues and be rewarded for pulling their weight. For seniorliving providers already challenged by workforce shortages, poor engagement,and high staff turnover driven by low accountability can be devastating.Continuity of care suffers when dedicated staff quit out of frustration. 

Unclear Priorities and Increased Conflict: Avoidance of accountability often goes together with ambiguityabout who is responsible for what. When roles and expectations are unclear,team members can easily point fingers or assume “someone else will handle it.”Ambiguity is a known driver of the accountability problem. Lencioni notes thatteams that avoid accountability are frequently plagued by unclear direction andpriorities. Without clarity, employees will second-guess decisions and delayaction, which creates fertile ground for conflicts and blame-shifting. If it’snot explicit who needs to complete a critical task (for example, updating thedaily medication log), each person may assume someone else did it until aproblem explodes and triggers finger-pointing. Small misunderstandings likethese, multiplied across an organization, create a culture of stress anddefensiveness rather than collaboration. 

Lower Quality of Care and Safety Risks: In healthcare and senior living, a lack of accountability canliterally put lives at risk. When employees don’t follow through on criticalresponsibilities, like adhering to safety protocols, double-checkingmedications, or responding to call lights, the quality of resident caredeclines. Mistakes or omissions that would have been caught in a culture ofaccountability instead go unaddressed. Research has shown that a lack ofaccountability in care settings erodes quality and increases the risk of errorsand adverse events. One study in the Journal of Patient Safety estimatedthat over 210,000 hospital patients die each year due to preventable medicalmistakes and infections, many of which could be avoided if staff consistentlyfollowed proper procedures. In senior living facilities, the stakes aresimilarly high: failing to own up to and fix a small problem (like a wet floor)can lead to a resident’s fall, and not being accountable for completing roundscan mean a resident in distress isn’t tended to promptly. On top of this, whenstaff hesitate to take responsibility for issues, families quickly lose trust.If a family notices recurring problems that no one will own and address, thecommunity’s reputation suffers. In short, avoidance of accountabilityundermines the consistent, high-quality care that residents deserve and expect. 

Compliance Violations and Legal/Financial Fallout: Senior living is a heavily regulated industry, and a lack ofaccountability around compliance can land an organization in serious trouble.When team members don’t take ownership of tasks like documenting care,administering medications on schedule, or keeping up with required training,the organization risks regulatory violations. Missed logs, unreportedincidents, or neglected procedures can lead to deficiencies on surveys, fines,or even lawsuits. A culture with poor accountability might let small infractionsslide until they snowball into systemic issues. As one industry article noted, “alack of accountability in healthcare can cause significant damage to yourorganization… ruin your reputation and increase the risk of lawsuits.”Beyond fines and legal costs, compliance failures distract leadership and stafffrom their primary focus of care as they scramble to do damage control. Incontrast, an accountable culture catches issues early and addresses themopenly. For instance, if a nurse realizes they missed a documentation step,they report and correct it immediately rather than hoping no one notices. Thiskind of honesty and proactiveness keeps the organization in good legal standingand aligned with its ethical standards. 

Higher Costs and Lower Financial Performance: Avoidance of accountability can hit the bottom line in less obviousbut very real ways. One major consequence is inefficient use of resources. Whenno one owns a problem, it often requires last-minute fixes that are costly, forexample, hiring expensive agency staff to cover chronic call-offs or payingovertime because some employees didn’t finish their work during regular hours.Workplaces that lack accountability often tolerate behaviors that drive upcosts, such as absenteeism or wastage, because no one confronts these issues.In senior living, labor is the biggest expense, and inefficient staffing due topoor accountability (e.g., shifts left uncovered, leading to emergency agencyusage) directly erodes financial results. Additionally, high turnover linked tolow accountability creates continual recruitment and training costs. Consideran environment where team members don’t reliably show up or complete theirduties. Reliable employees will eventually leave (incurring turnover costs);temporary staff or float pool nurses must be brought in to fill gaps (premiumcosts); and managers spend time “firefighting” problems rather than improvingoperations (opportunity cost). Over time, these financial drains can mount intohundreds of thousands of dollars lost, impacting the community’s ability toinvest in improvements or even remain financially viable. Simply put, a lack ofaccountability is expensive. 

In summary, the avoidance of accountability acts like dryrot in an organization: it slowly undermines team performance, trust,engagement, care quality, compliance, and finances. It creates a work culturewhere everyone assumes someone else will solve the problem, so importantresponsibilities fall through the cracks. For senior living teams charged withcaring for vulnerable residents, this dysfunction is especially dangerous.

The good news is that with the right approach, leaders canturn this situation around. Before looking at specific solutions, here’s anexample of how establishing accountability made a measurable difference in onecommunity. 

Case Study: PeerAccountability in Action: Reducing Agency Staff by 40% 

Even abstract concepts like“accountability” have very tangible impacts when put into practice. In onesenior living community within our organization, we faced a costly problem:excessive use of agency staff. Call-offs and open shifts were routinely beingfilled by outside agency caregivers, driving up labor costs and sometimescompromising continuity of care for residents. At its core, staff members feltno real ownership for ensuring all shifts were covered. If someone called out,everyone assumed management or an agency nurse would handle it. This was aclassic accountability gap; everyone was busy, and no one was proactivelyworking together to fill the void. 

To address this, our leadership team implementedpeer-to-peer accountability scorecards for shift coverage. We introduced asimple system where each week the team openly tracked and reviewed howscheduling issues were handled. If a staff member needed a day off or had anemergency, it became their responsibility, in partnership with theirteammates, to find a suitable replacement from within the existing team(barring true last-minute crises). Each successful instance of teammatessolving a coverage gap without defaulting to agency help earned thatteam a point on the scorecard. The results were posted on a public “commitmentsboard” in the break room, so everyone could see the team’s progress in reducingagency dependence. We also sparked some friendly competition: units orcommunities that maintained the lowest agency hours or the most internal shiftswaps were recognized at monthly all-hands meetings. 

The impact was quickly apparent. Over three months, thatcommunity saw a 40% reduction in agency staffing hours, drastically cutting ouragency expenses. This was a stunning improvement in a short time. Moreimportantly, the exercise sparked a mindset change among employees. Nursingaides began swapping shifts among themselves more proactively (“I covered yourevening shift, you cover my weekend,” became a common understanding), andnurses who might previously have called out on short notice grew more hesitantto do so, knowing their colleagues were counting on them. The public nature ofthe scorecard created a sense of constructive peer pressure: no one wanted to be the reason their team had to resort to an outsider. As one caregiver put it,“I don’t want to leave my team in the lurch unless I absolutely must. We’re inthis together.” 

Not only did this initiative save money, but it alsoimproved camaraderie and consistency of care. Residents were more consistentlycared for by familiar team members rather than a rotating cast of outsiders.Full-time staff took pride in the fact that “we’ve got each other’s backs,” andit showed in their engagement. In fact, employee engagement surveys takenafterward showed an uptick in statements like “My coworkers are committed todoing quality work” and “We feel responsible for each other’s success.” Thepeer-to-peer scorecard tapped into employees’ intrinsic desire not to letteammates (and by extension, residents) down. By making accountability a sharedgoal rather than a top-down enforcement, it became part of the team ethos. 

This case demonstrates that accountability is contagiousin the best way. Once a few employees start actively owning problems andsolutions, others are inspired (and socially pressured) to do the same. Thedramatic 40% reduction in agency hours translated into not only financialsavings but also better staffing stability and higher trust within the team.It’s a powerful example of how increasing accountability through transparencyand peer commitment can yield rapid, significant benefits in senior livingoperations. 

Fostering a Culture ofAccountability: Strategies for Leaders 

Avoiding accountability may be the norm on dysfunctionalteams, but it’s possible to build a culture where accountabilitythrives.

This is where senior living leaders come in, as they playa pivotal role in setting the tone and establishing practices that encourageevery individual to take ownership of their responsibilities and hold peers tohigh standards in a positive, constructive manner.

Here are five concrete strategies that executives andmanagers can implement to overcome the avoidance of accountability: 

Model Accountability at the Top: Culture flows from leadership. Leaders must start by holdingthemselves accountable, openly and visibly. Follow through on your commitments,admit mistakes, and show that you welcome feedback from others. When a CEO oradministrator owns up to an error (for example: “I missed the deadline tosubmit our budget, and I apologize; I’ll make sure to fix this, and I welcomemy team to hold me to it”), it sends a powerful message that accountability isnot a punishment but a shared value. Leading by example also means consistentlywalking the walk on policies and standards. If punctuality is expected,leaders should be on time for meetings. If documentation is required, leadersshould not circumvent the process for convenience. By modeling the behavior youexpect, you build trust and set the expectation that everyone, even those atthe top, is accountable. Research confirms that when leaders demonstratepersonal accountability and integrity, it creates an environment where othersare more likely to take responsibility as well. In practice, a nursing directormight publicly share their own development goals and update their team on theirprogress, implicitly inviting others to do the same. When leaders consistentlyuphold their promises, it establishes a norm throughout the organization: we dowhat we say we will do. 

Clarify Expectations and Goals: Ambiguity is one of the biggest drivers of accountability failure,so leaders must remove the guesswork about “who is responsible for what” and“what success looks like.” Every employee must know exactly what is expected ofthem in terms of duties and outcomes, and how those expectations tie into theorganization’s broader mission. Amazingly, one study found that 85% ofemployees were not sure what their organization was really trying toachieve, an astounding communication gap that makes true accountability almostimpossible. To avoid this, senior living executives should communicate aconcise set of top priorities (for example, “Increase resident satisfaction by10%” or “Cut fall incidents in half”) and then link each department andindividual’s goals to those key results. When goals are crystal clear andlimited in number, it’s much easier to hold people accountable, because there’slittle confusion over what matters most. 

Clarity also means defining specific standards forperformance and behavior. Vague directives like “provide good care” should betranslated into concrete, observable commitments (for example, “every caregiverwill complete their daily charting by the end of shift” or “respond to calllights within 5 minutes on average”). With clear expectations in place, employeescan be held accountable for something tangible. It’s equally important to getbuy-in on these expectations. Whenever possible, involve employees in settingtheir goals and the “how” of their work. People are far more likely to committo targets they had a hand in creating. (Lencioni notes that lack of buy-in, orcommitment, precedes avoidance of accountability; conversely, when individualshelp set the goals, they feel more responsible for achieving them.) OneMcKinsey study found that in companies with effective performance management,91% of employees said their goals were explicitly linked to business priorities,underscoring the value of alignment. In practice, a community ExecutiveDirector might hold a workshop with staff to define what “great residentexperience” looks like and to set a few measurable team targets. Once everyoneagrees on the targets and understands their role in reaching them, it becomesmuch more natural for peers (and managers) to call out (or better yet, support)anyone who is veering off course. The whole team is committed to the same clearobjectives. 

Make Commitments Visible and Track Progress(Transparency): Transparency is a powerful enablerof accountability. People are far less likely to drop the ball when they knowtheir progress is visible to their peers, not in a “Big Brother” sense, but ina supportive, collective sense. Leaders can establish mechanisms for publiccommitments: employees state their goals or tasks openly, and progress isregularly reviewed by the group. This could be a “commitment board” in a staffarea, a shared spreadsheet of key deliverables, or a segment in team meetingswhere each person reports on their top priorities and updates. The idea is tocreate a routine that says, “We all know what each of us is supposed todeliver, and we will regularly check in on it together.” 

Social science backs up the power of this approach. TheAmerican Society of Training and Development (ASTD) conducted a study on goalachievement and found striking results: simply committing a goal to anotherperson gives you a 65% chance of completing it, and having a specificaccountability appointment with someone raises that chance to 95%. In otherwords, when you publicly declare “I will do X by Y date” and you know you’ll beasked about it later, you’re almost guaranteed to follow through. Senior livingleaders can leverage this by facilitating more public sharing of commitments.For example, at the end of each department meeting, every manager could stateone action they’ll complete before the next meeting. Or a memory care teammight have a whiteboard where they write down daily task assignments (e.g.,“Update 5 care plans by Friday: John”). The next day or week, the teamcollectively reviews what got done. This kind of peer visibility creates gentlepressure not to let others down, just as we saw with the shift coveragescorecard in the case study. A leadership organization called Executive Agendaattests that incorporating peer accountability (where colleagues routinelyreport progress to one another) has led their member companies to significantlyhigher success rates in meeting objectives. 

Another transparency tool is touse team dashboards or scorecards that everyone can see. For instance, trackingkey performance indicators (like response times, fall rates, or trainingcompliance) on a public dashboard by unit can spur teams to take ownership oftheir results. If one unit’s fall rate is higher this month, seeing that dataout in the open can prompt a healthy discussion: “What can we do about this?”rather than waiting for a manager to scold them. The key is to frametransparency positively, not punitively. Emphasize that “we’re all in thistogether and nothing is swept under the rug.” When responsibilities andresults are out in the open, there is no place to hide. Team members beginholding themselves accountable because everyone can see the score. 

Encourage Constructive Peer Feedback and Support: The hallmark of a truly cohesive team is undoubtedly peer-to-peeraccountability. Team members should feel empowered (and obligated) to givefeedback to one another, rather than relying on the boss to intervene everytime something goes awry. Leaders can nurture this by training and encouragingstaff to respectfully call out inconsistencies and have each other’s backs. Forexample, if a caregiver notices a colleague hasn’t sanitized a piece ofequipment properly, in an accountable culture, they’ll politely remind them orhelp them address it rather than ignore it or assume it’s someone else’sproblem. This level of comfort doesn’t happen overnight; management needs toopenly discuss it and normalize it. Make it clear to your team that holding ateammate accountable isn’t “tattling” or criticism; it’s an act of caring aboutthe team’s success. You can reinforce this mindset in staff huddles or trainingworkshops by using the language of accountability openly (e.g., asking inmeetings, “Who can I count on to double-check the supply inventory with me thisweek?” or “Let’s pair up as accountability partners to complete our newtraining modules.”). 

Leaders should also coach teams on how to give feedbackconstructively. Critiques should focus on specific behaviors or results ratherthan personal attacks. For instance, a peer might say, “I noticed the incidentreports weren’t filed yesterday. How can I help make sure we get those donetoday?” When teammates learn to have these direct conversations, issues getaddressed much faster and in a less heavy-handed way than if management stepsin. It also creates mutual respect: everyone is held to the same standards,whether your title is caregiver or lead nurse. Patrick Lencioni points out thatthe best teams are those in which “team members hold one another accountableto high standards and performance”, not because they’re being policed, butbecause they genuinely don’t want to let each other down or see the team fail.One practical method is to establish accountability “partners” or buddy systemsfor key tasks. For example, two department heads might agree to review eachother’s monthly compliance checklists before submission, each gently ensuringthe other doesn’t miss a step. Over time, this normalizes the idea that anyoneon the team can remind anyone else of a commitment. The result is a tighter,more self-correcting unit. Importantly, as peer accountability grows, theleader’s burden decreases: the team starts to regulate its own performanceinstead of waiting for the boss to catch every issue. When a team reaches thislevel, avoidance of accountability has little oxygen; coworkers simply won’tpermit persistent lapses, and that peer pressure drives continuous improvement. 

Recognize and Celebrate Follow-Through: Accountability shouldn’t only be about catching failures; it shouldbe just as much about celebrating follow-through and success. Positivereinforcement goes a long way toward solidifying an accountability culture.Leaders and teams should intentionally acknowledge when individuals or groupsmeet their commitments, especially under challenging circumstances. This couldbe as simple as public praise in a meeting: “Kudos to the night shift! 100% ofcare logs were completed on time this week, which is fantastic accountability.”Or it might involve tangible rewards: perhaps a team that meets its quarterlyquality targets gets a celebratory lunch or small tokens of appreciation. Thepoint is to show that keeping your promises and hitting your marks is noticed andvalued. As the authors of The Oz Principle (a well-known book onworkplace accountability) emphasize, accountability should be seen as “apersonal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate ownership.”In other words, it’s a behavior to champion, not to punish. By highlightingexamples of individuals who exemplify true ownership (like an employee whoidentified a problem and fixed it by themself), you encourage others to followsuit. 

Celebrating follow-through also nurtures team trust andmorale. When employees see colleagues reliably do what they said they’d do,trust blossoms, and when leadership calls it out positively, it reinforces thatthis is the expected norm. High-performing teams often have little rituals toappreciate reliability, like a round of applause in daily huddles for “30 dayswith no missed medications” or peer-nominated “Accountability Champion” awards.These may sound hokey, but they tap into basic human motivation: we all likeour good work to be recognized. When accountability is consistently tied topositive outcomes and appreciation (instead of only being associated with blameor extra work), employees begin to take pride in being accountable. That pridefuels a virtuous cycle: staff go the extra mile to keep their promises and helpcolleagues, knowing it contributes to something bigger and will be appreciated.Over time, success stories accumulate. Perhaps your facility avoided a statecitation because a team member proactively caught and corrected an issue… sharethat story! Show how accountability averted a crisis or led to a glowing familycompliment. Celebrating these wins connects the dots between accountability andthe mission we all share in senior living: providing excellent, safe care andservice to residents. 

Accountability as a Driver ofQuality Care, Trust, and Financial Health 

When accountability is woveninto the fabric of a senior living community, the positive effects ripplethrough every aspect of the organization. A strong culture of accountabilityimproves the experience of residents, boosts operational efficiency, and buildstrust within teams. In fact, an accountability-focused team tends to excel infour key areas: 

Better Resident Care andOutcomes 

Accountable teams ensure residents receive more reliable,consistent care. Why? Because team members don’t say, “I thought someone elsewould do it.” Instead, they either do it themselves or make sure it gets done.Fewer care tasks are missed, and issues get addressed more quickly, directlyimproving the health and satisfaction of residents. For example, if aresident’s care plan review is due, an accountable nurse will make it a pointof pride to complete it on time (and a peer or supervisor will follow up ifit’s not done). As noted earlier, a lack of accountability can put lives atrisk; conversely, a high-accountability environment helps prevent errors andadverse events. Moreover, residents and their families can also sense anaccountable culture, which shows up in staff attitudes (“We’ll take care ofthat; I’ll make sure it happens”) and in consistent service delivery. Thisbuilds the community’s reputation for quality. In short, accountability is aprerequisite for excellence in resident care, turning the care standards onpaper into real actions day in and day out. 

Strong Compliance and EthicalStandards 

Accountability and compliance go hand in hand. In anaccountable team, employees don’t look for ways to cut corners on regulationsor paperwork; they hold themselves responsible for meeting those requirementsas part of the job. If something is amiss, they report it rather than hide it.This proactive stance keeps the organization ahead of survey deficiencies andlegal risks. For instance, if an incident occurs, an accountable team willdocument it and initiate corrective action immediately rather than hoping noone notices. Regulators often note that facilities with a culture of candor andcontinuous improvement (both fruits of accountability) tend to have bettersurvey outcomes. When staff at all levels feel responsible for ethical conductand compliance, it also reduces the burden on managers and compliance officersto “police” every situation; doing the right thing becomes everyone’s job.Leaders can rest easier knowing employees are upholding standards even when noone is watching. In the end, accountability protects the organization bothlegally and morally, ensuring that promises made to residents and regulatorsare kept. It also bolsters the community’s public image and trustworthiness inthe eyes of families. 

Lower Staffing Costs andGreater Efficiency 

As our case study showed, a culture of accountability candramatically reduce reliance on expensive stopgap measures like agency staff orovertime. When team members take ownership of staffing needs, volunteering forextra shifts when truly needed, adhering to schedules, and helping each otherfill gaps, the need for outside labor drops. Similarly, accountable employeesmanage their time and resources better, avoiding waste and inefficiency. Theytreat the organization’s resources (budget, supplies, etc.) as they would theirown. For example, an accountable maintenance supervisor will ensure preventivemaintenance is done on schedule (avoiding costly repairs later) without needingto be chased, because he accepts that responsibility fully. Over time, theseefficiencies add up to significant cost savings. Reducing turnover by buildinga better work environment also lowers recruiting and training expenses.(Industry-wide, turnover can cost tens of thousands of dollars per employeereplaced.) Most of the time, high accountability also correlates with higherproductivity; people who take initiative tend to streamline processes and solveproblems before they escalate into costly issues. In sum, accountability has adirect ROI: fewer last-minute emergencies, more efficient use of resources, anda stable, experienced workforce that improves the financial performance of thecommunity. 

Higher Trust and Teamwork 

Perhaps most importantly, a culture of accountabilitybuilds trust, the cornerstone of any high-performing team. When everyone doestheir part and owns up to issues, colleagues know they can count on oneanother. This trust enables more robust collaboration, honest communication,and resilience under stress. Teams with high internal trust tackle challengesas a united front, rather than wasting energy on blame or CYA maneuvers. In asenior living setting, for instance, the nursing and dietary staff can coordinateclosely and transparently on a resident’s care plan; each trusts the other tofollow through, so residents don’t fall through the cracks between departments.Trust also extends between staff and leadership: when leaders hold themselvesaccountable and treat staff as partners in upholding standards, employees trustmanagement more. They feel safer speaking up and taking initiative to improvethings (because they trust they won’t be unfairly blamed for honest mistakes).This creates a positive cycle: accountability breeds high trust, and high trustmakes it easier to sustain accountability. A trusting, accountable team is alsomore agile and innovative. People bring up problems early (since they takeresponsibility) and trust others to help solve them, which leads to continuousimprovement. Organizations with this kind of culture are far better equipped toweather crises (like a pandemic or sudden staff shortage) than a low-trust,low-accountability organization where issues would be compounded in toughtimes. 

Conclusion: From Dysfunctionto Discipline: Leading Accountability in Senior Living 

Avoidance of accountability may be common in teams, but it’sby no means inevitable. With deliberate leadership and a commitment to culturalchange, senior living organizations can overcome this dysfunction. The journeybegins with leaders making a clear, personal decision to prioritizeaccountability in their own actions and in the values they instill in theirteams. It continues with the practical steps I’ve discussed: settingcrystal-clear expectations, involving team members in goal setting, makingresponsibilities and results transparent, fostering an environment of peersupport, and rewarding the behavior we want to see more of. 

As we’ve seen, the rewards for doing so are immense. Whenaccountability thrives, teams transform from a collection of individualsprotecting themselves into a cohesive unit fighting for a common cause.Employees at all levels feel greater ownership and pride in their work.Problems are identified and solved earlier. High standards become everyone’sresponsibility, not just the supervisor’s burden. Trust replaces cynicism. Inthe senior living context, these improvements manifest as safer, happier, healthierresidents and a stronger bottom line that allows the organization to reinvestin its people and communities. 

For HR executives, founders, CEOs, and otherorganizational leaders, the charge is clear: make accountability a cornerstoneof your culture. This means hiring and developing managers who won’t shy awayfrom holding their teams to their commitments, and training staff to understandthat holding each other accountable is an act of respect and dedication to themission. It means baking accountability into performance reviews, orientationprograms, and everyday conversations, shifting it from a dreaded concept into acelebrated norm. It might even mean having the courage to remove those fewindividuals who refuse to embrace accountability and drag down the team despitecoaching, because one persistently unaccountable person can poison the cultureyou’re trying to build. 

In closing, creating a high-accountability workplace meansbuilding a team where everyone can confidently say, “If I commit to doingsomething, I’ll do it. And if you don’t, I will kindly remind you, because wedon’t let each other fail.” It’s about replacing the blame game with asolutions game. Senior living organizations that make this shift will not onlyavoid the pitfalls of dysfunction but will distinguish themselves in anincreasingly challenging industry. When each team member takes ownership oftheir responsibilities and follows through, it unlocks the full potential ofthe team to deliver compassionate, excellent care. 

As Patrick Lencioni wisely said, “When it comes toteamwork, accountability is about the willingness of team members to remind oneanother when they are not living up to the performance standards of the group.”Ultimately, that willingness is an expression of respect and commitment to eachother, rather than conflict. As leaders, let’s cultivate that spirit in ourteams. The seniors we serve and the employees we lead deserve nothing less thana culture where promises are kept and everyone can be counted on. 

Free Accountability Checklist(PDF) 

To help you turn these insights into action, I’m offeringa free Accountability Checklist (PDF) that you can use with your team. Thischecklist distills the key steps and practices for building a culture ofaccountability in a senior living community. It’s a practical tool you canbring to your next team meeting or training session to start closingaccountability gaps right away. 

How to get it: Comment below or send me a direct messagewith the word “OWN IT.” I’ll reply with your free accountability checklist.Let’s make accountability the cornerstone of excellence in your senior livingorganization!