People cannot be fully accountable. Full accountability is an unrealistic expectation. That's setting the bar too high. There are many reasons why people cannot be fully accountable: they do not have 100% control over themselves; willpower has its good days and its bad days; they cannot exert perfect influence on other people; other people have minds of their own; multi-tasking is a distraction that takes focus off specific-task accountability...and many other reasons.

So...

Some of the people can be accountable some of the time.

None of the people can be accountable all of the time.

People can, however, be fully accountable for a few certain actions within their control. They can Influence their own actions...not all their actions all the time, but definitely a few of their actions some of the time.

One key to success is matching accountability with those actions people can self-Influence and perform with skill, repeatedly.

Consider each person whom you want to be accountable.

What specific actions do they believe they can be accountable for? Those are the things to focus on. Those are the right baby steps to take. Those are the actions that will bring constructive change.

Note to Leaders:

Unless you know you know what people can be accountable for, don't assume. Don't ever assume. Put another way, avoid the temptation to pick specific actions you believe or expect others can be accountable for. Instead, encourage others to help you understand what they believe they can be accountable for. 

• Most likely they will pick items they know they can control or, at least, they think they have a good chance to control.
• Most likely they will pick items that align with their Talents, Knowledge, Skills, and Strengths...i.e., they will Take Talent To Task.
• Most likely they will pick items that align with their ability to exert self-Influence.

If you embrace a better definition of Integrity, you will improve your ability to Influence people.

Due to the amazing nuances of our English language you have choices about Integrity. You can choose Integrity to contain moral judgment; you can choose Integrity to mean unimpaired and sound; you can choose Integrity to mean complete. And, you can choose Integrity to mean combinations of these concepts.

Critical here is: you do not have to lace Integrity with moral judgment.

And, if you choose to remove moral judgment from your Integrity-thinking you open your mind and you simplify your thinking. You open your mind by making Integrity an external thing…not about you…about other things. Not about right and wrong. You simplify your thinking by linking Integrity with non-judgmental concepts – ‘unimpaired’ and ‘complete’…the pieces fit together…the pieces tie together…the pieces withstand scrutiny…the pieces withstand the test of time…the pieces are simple and when combined, the pieces make sense.  

When compared to moral judgment, the concepts ‘unimpaired’ and ‘complete’ are easier to measure. When compared to moral judgment, the concepts ‘unimpaired’ and ‘complete’ are easier to communicate with other people. When compared to moral judgment, the concepts ‘unimpaired’ and ‘complete’ are easier to embrace with other people.

The concepts ‘unimpaired’ and ‘complete’ open the door to common ground.

Common ground is the framework for Influence.

You can choose to define Integrity as:

1. When you know your Personal Values and
2. When you can express your Personal Values in writing [showing how you think the think] and
3. When you can talk with others about your Personal Values [talk the talk] and
4. When your actions are consistent with your Personal Values [walk the walk] and
5. When you acknowledge your think-talk-walk errors and strive to not repeat them

          …then you have Integrity.

You can let people know this definition does not contain biases in moral judgment zones.  It’s just about whether or not things are ‘unimpaired’ and ‘complete’.

Then you will, naturally, seek first to understand.

Then you will, naturally, keep your biases in check.

Then you will, naturally, expand your Influence.

PS: Very few other people have interest in your or anyone else's moral judgments...they have enough of their own...and constructive criticism is an oxymoron.

One of my early bosses advised me: Management is Motivating Mediocrity.

While I like the alliteration, I do not accept that advice.

I think we should not take the burden of motivating other people on our shoulders. That's a strategy doomed to fail. People are self-motivated...always. Their self-motivation applies whether or not we like the direction it is taking the person. And, poorly-directed self-motivation is rampant in business.

Leaders must create situations where people can self-motivate in directions that are aligned with business goals.

Leaders must delegate self-motivation and make sure they don't demotivate while they are delegating.

When delegating a task to a person allow the person to embrace accountability for 2 things:

1. responsibility for self-motivation for full performance of the task and 
2. responsibility for communicating about performance of the task.

Take the task off your To Do List, literally and figuratively. Know the person has accepted full responsibility and full accountability. Create a process that will ensure both you and the person know how and when communication will occur...that is: (1) the person (not you) will lead the communication and the communication will be planned and concise and (2) the communication will occur at your next 'team meeting'.

This advice also applies when you delegate authority for many tasks to a person, i.e.,  when you delegate tasks that will be performed either by the person directly or by people on the person's team.