On a team, every member must be held accountable. No slacking, no free passes because of seniority or position. This is a firm principle of elite teams. An article in USA Today (February 2, 2012, p. 2A) illustrated the point via a quote from a New England Patriots player:
“(I was) stunned to hear (Coach) Belichick call out Brady before the entire squad during a film session… I’m thinking ‘Really? Tom Brady? First-ballot Hall of Famer?’… Coaching and accountability is crucial… When the 53rd man on the roster knows he is in the same boat as Tom Brady, it creates a winning atmosphere, the freedom to be a team.”
Closing quotes:
“Great companies have high cultures of accountability, an openness to constructive criticism.” — Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO
“Accountability breeds response-ability.” — Stephen R. Covey
“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” — Moliere
“A good coach holds the team accountable for BOTH their actions AND their results.” — Catherine Pulsifer, “People’s Expectations of a Coach”