Vulnerability and accountability: unlikely but important key words for tech leaders

By Helen Crisostomo is the Business Development Director at de Novo Solutions

Vulnerability and accountability aren’t necessarily the top words any technology leaders would think of when considering terms associated with their work. But when we put aside the coding, systems and applications, technology at its heart is about humans: the humans who develop and power it, the humans whose lives it fundamentally improves, and the enrichment and advancement of humans as a collective.

It’s individuals who power huge transformation projects which enable organisations across both the public and private sector to continue working efficiently in this highly-digital era; individuals who are often shouldering heavy workloads and working towards relentless deadlines. So if those people aren’t well, and the leaders who oversee the projects aren’t well, then we simply cannot expect the best outcomes – and that impacts us all.

Vulnerability is strength

The very thought of being vulnerable at work might send shivers up the spine of many high-level managers, who have often had to show great resilience, tenacity and strength to climb up the career ladder. But leadership isn’t always about having the answers – there can be real power in asking your team for ideas and input, enabling others to shine in their area of expertise by providing a solution to a specific problem, or working towards a resolution collectively.

This collaborative way of approaching a project also has positive implications for the mindset and morale of all involved: because they feel they’ve played a part in shaping the plan, there’s a higher level of investment in the outcome, and added motivation to achieve the goals they’ve had a say in creating. Most leaders will have anecdotal evidence of this, but there are also a wealth of studies which support the link, such as one published in the Public Library of Science which found ‘goal-setting participation has a positive impact on employees’ proactive behaviour’.

Accountability for all

Part of a leader’s role is around ensuring everyone is accountable for their part of the project, and the actions they’ve been tasked with completing. Accountability also extends to the leaders themselves – meaning they not only acknowledge where things might be going awry and work to rectify the situation, but also that they ask the right questions and are prepared to listen to the feedback they’re receiving.

Leaders need to be accountable in regards to looking after themselves, so they’re presenting the very best version of themselves at work. Accountable for creating the time, space and culture so team members feel able and comfortable to approach them

for support, for example if their workload has become overwhelming. And accountable for ensuring every person has a comprehensive understanding of and investment in the overall project, alongside the physical and emotional tools needed for their specific role.

A well leader means a well team

It is extremely easy to push aside wellbeing, attempting to compartmentalise home life stress while at work and vice versa, but we know this has a detrimental impact not only on the leader’s performance but also on the wider team. In fact, a study of more than 200 factors by WorkWell Leaders with National University of Singapore highlighted that leader wellness had the largest impact on the team. Having a leader who was emotionally well was actually 11 times more effective in boosting team wellbeing than participation in stress management or resilience programmes.

There will naturally be a certain amount of pressure associated with delivering a large-scale programme, and leaders have to exhibit resilience throughout – but recognising when those stress levels are beginning to overflow is crucial. Not only must leaders recognise their ‘tipping point’, where it’s time to implement strategies focused on looking after themselves, but them must also have a clear idea of which strategies are most effective for them. It might be exercise, time with loved ones, or a healthy sleep routine – but it could be something entirely different, so creating the time in your schedule to discover the best strategies for you and then implement them when needed is not a choice, it’s a necessity.

Focusing on your own wellbeing and that of your team might seem like yet another task to add to an extensive list of priorities. But in fact, we know that improving emotional wellbeing has such a large impact on key areas like productivity and morale, that the return on investment is more than worth it. It’s not necessarily about simply throwing money at the problem, although the C-suite recognising the importance of wellbeing and setting aside a specific budget is of course beneficial, but more so working out what is needed for each person on the time – and that includes the team leader.

Because how can we expect employees to prioritise their own emotional health if they see their leader drowning under the weight of stress, a heavy workload and an inability (or unwillingness) to show vulnerability or accountability?