How a CTO Can Create a Culture of Accountability

Establishing Accountability as a CTO

Establishing accountability as a CTO involves recognizing that accountability is a two-way street. You are accountable to your CEO, your peers, and your customers, while also holding your teams accountable. This dynamic helps accountability to be integrated at every level of your leadership and within your team.

• Accountability Relationships: There are three main types of relationships where accountability is important—yourself, your superior, and your peers.
  • Self-Accountability: Holding yourself accountable can be challenging because it requires a high degree of self-discipline. As a leader, it is important to be your own judge and to continuously evaluate whether you are meeting your responsibilities. However, many people struggle with maintaining this level of discipline. Therefore, having someone else, in addition, to hold you accountable can be more effective.
  • Superior Accountability: Ideally, a superior, such as your CEO or direct manager, will also help hold you accountable. Having someone above you to ensure that you are completing your responsibilities provides structure and support.
  • Peer Accountability: Accountability does not stop at the vertical level. As a CTO, you must also be accountable to your peers and hold them accountable in return. This horizontal accountability strengthens the entire leadership team, ensuring that all members are aligned and performing their roles effectively.

     

• Two-Way Accountability: Accountability in a leadership role, particularly as a CTO, is multidirectional. You need to hold your teams accountable, but you must also allow others to hold you accountable. This two-way relationship helps to create transparency and mutual trust. For example, you are accountable to your CEO and direct reports, while simultaneously holding your teams accountable to meet their goals.

   

• Leading by Example: Creating accountability begins with demonstrating it. Your actions as a CTO set the standard for others. If you demonstrate a commitment to accountability, your team will be more likely to follow that pattern.

   

• Mutual Accountability Among Teams: Accountability within a team does not only come from the manager. It also comes from team members who hold each other accountable. This peer-level accountability can significantly strengthen team cohesion and improve overall performance. Encouraging an atmosphere where each team member feels responsible for the success of others builds a culture of shared responsibility. For instance, engineers should not only be held accountable by their managers but also by their peers to ensure that everyone is striving for high standards and supporting the collective goal. I have said in the past that “If I am responsible for a team that holds each other accountable, that is the dream team”.

   

• Encouraging Positive Motivation: Accountability must spring from healthy motivations rather than fear or unhealthy competition. Holding peers accountable should come from a real desire to improve quality and achieve the best outcomes for the company and its customers. When team members are motivated to hold each other accountable out of respect and commitment to shared goals, it builds camaraderie rather than friction.

  
  
  

Building Commitments for Team Accountability

Commitments are the second important ingredient that CTOs have to consider when building a culture of accountability. Commitments provide the foundation for accountability by defining expectations, timelines, and outcomes. Here are several considerations:

• Measurable Commitments: Without well-defined commitments, accountability lacks a solid basis. A commitment must be specific, achieving a measurable outcome, or completing a defined scope of work. Vague statements like “working on a feature” are insufficient, as they do not provide any sort of timeline or criteria for success, allowing room for delays without meaningful progress.

   

• Balancing Commitments and Consequences: Commitments can be intimidating, especially for engineering teams that may fear the repercussions of missing a target. It is important to establish a balance where commitments are encouraged without imposing punitive consequences. Commitments tied to such penalties can lead to a culture of fear that defeats the purpose of healthy accountability. Conversely, providing no structure at all—a ‘blank check’ approach—leads to complacency and a lack of urgency. The goal is to set meaningful, achievable commitments while showing understanding and flexibility when unforeseen circumstances arise.

   

• Aggressive but Safe Targets: Encouraging teams to set ambitious targets can be highly motivating, provided there are no negative consequences if those targets are not fully met. The focus should be on pushing boundaries and striving for excellence, not on punishment for unmet goals.
  
  Let me share a personal example:
  Years ago I was VP, Engineering for a SaaS company where the built time for the legacy product was 90 minutes. Everyone hated that but there was no clear answer on how to drastically reduce the build time. Therefore, instead of asking the team to make it “as short as possible”, I decided to take a different approach.
  
  I told them that I’d like to give them a challenge to reduce it from 90 to 10 minutes, or under. I knew what I was asking for and was quick to clarify that if they could not hit that target, there would be no consequences. I also told them that I wanted them to be creative and have fun with the effort. Guess what? They were able to reduce it to 12 minutes. I am quite sure that, had I asked them to just make it as short as possible, we would not have gotten such an impressive result.

   

• Commitment Ownership: The individuals making the commitments must be the ones deciding to commit. Imposed commitments are not effective because they do not originate from real willingness. For commitments to be meaningful, they must come from the person’s own desire to achieve them. This willingness is influenced by two main factors:

   

  1. Hiring the Right People: Not everyone is naturally inclined to make and honor commitments. Some individuals are inherently more self-motivated and take greater ownership of their work. As a CTO, it is important to hire individuals who exhibit these traits—those who are driven to meet goals and take pride in their contributions.

      

  2. Understanding the Value: People are more likely to commit and give their best when they understand the value of their contributions. As a leader, it is your responsibility to communicate why a particular commitment is important, how it impacts the company, and the benefits it brings. When individuals see the direct link between their work and the company’s success, they are more motivated to follow through.

      

• Grace in the Face of Challenges: It is equally important to be graceful when commitments cannot be met due to factors beyond an individual’s control. For example, if key team members are unavailable due to illness or family emergencies, it is important to acknowledge these challenges without negative repercussions. Demonstrating understanding in these situations will help maintain morale and encourage continued commitment in the future.

  
  
  

Conclusion

Creating a culture of accountability as a CTO requires the combination of clarity, support, and mutual respect. When you establish accountability relationships across all levels—yourself, your superiors, peers, and teams—you set the foundation for transparency and trust. Making sure that there is always someone to hold each individual accountable helps maintain focus and direction.

Equally important is building a culture where meaningful commitments are made and honored. Commitments should be straightforward, measurable, and come from real willingness. The people making these commitments should understand their value, and aggressive targets should be set without the fear of punitive repercussions. Grace in the face of challenges also plays an important role in maintaining morale and motivation.

Q&A: Creating a Culture of Accountability as a CTO

Q1: What are the main ingredients needed to build a culture of accountability?

A1: The two main ingredients are having someone to hold you accountable and meaningful commitments. These ingredients create the foundation upon which accountability can grow. Without these, establishing a true culture of responsibility and ownership is challenging.

Q2: Why is it important to have someone hold you accountable?

A2: Having someone to hold you accountable provides an external check that ensures you remain aligned with your responsibilities. While self-accountability is ideal, it requires a higher degree of self-discipline that many people struggle with. External accountability—whether from a superior, a peer, or a partner—can help maintain focus and consistency.

Q3: How does peer accountability benefit the team?

A3: Peer accountability helps strengthen team cohesion and performance. When team members hold each other accountable, it builds a sense of shared responsibility and commitment. This dynamic encourages each person to take responsibility not only for their individual tasks but also for the overall success of the team.

Q4: What role does a CTO play in establishing accountability?

A4: As a CTO, you are responsible for setting the tone for accountability across your team. This involves holding yourself accountable, being accountable to your CEO and peers, and ensuring that your teams are also held accountable. When you lead by example and demonstrate a commitment to accountability, you establish a culture that others are more likely to follow.

Q5: How can a CTO ensure that commitments are effective and meaningful?

A5: Commitments must be well understood, measurable, and owned by the individuals making them. The CTO should encourage commitments that are specific and achievable, avoiding vague or open-ended goals. It is also important to create an environment where commitments are made willingly, and individuals understand the value of what they are committing to.

Q6: What are some best practices for managing the balance between commitments and consequences?

A6: It is important to balance encouraging commitments with avoiding punitive consequences for missed goals. Commitments should be ambitious but achievable, and without punitive consequences for missing them. This will prevent a culture of fear and encourage a positive environment where individuals feel comfortable striving for excellence without the fear of penalties.

Q7: How should a CTO handle situations where commitments cannot be met due to unforeseen circumstances?

A7: When commitments cannot be met due to factors beyond an individual’s control—such as illness or emergencies—it is important to be understanding. Demonstrating grace in these situations helps maintain morale and shows that the company values its employees.

Q8: Why is it important for commitments to come from the individual making them?

A8: Commitments are most effective when they come from the individual’s real willingness to achieve them. Imposed commitments will lack the same level of ownership. When individuals decide to commit, they are more likely to be motivated and dedicated. The CTO’s role is to ensure that team members understand the value of their work, which then encourages real commitment.

Q9: How can aggressive targets be used effectively without causing fear?

A9: Aggressive targets can be motivating when there are no punitive consequences for falling short. Encouraging teams to aim high, such shooting for a seemingly unrealistic goal, can push innovation and creativity. The important part is to ensure that missing these targets does not lead to negative repercussions, and thus allowing teams to push their boundaries without fear.

Q10: What impact does a culture of accountability have on team performance?

A10: A culture of accountability enhances both individual and collective ownership. It helps to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals, with mutual expectations and trust. This culture leads to higher-quality outcomes, improved team cohesion, and ultimately creates more success for the organization.