Sometimes the hardest conversations make the biggest impact. After years as Chief Revenue Officer at several tech companies, Denise Ruffner knows that accountability is key to an individual’s success. Working across quantum computing and AI companies, she’s developed a straightforward approach to keeping teams on track when things move fast.
Here are her three steps that can help ensure accountability in teams:
Defining Clear Roles
Most companies make the following mistake from day one. They hand out fancy titles and expect people to figure out the rest. Denise takes a different approach. “I don’t just bring on an employee, give them a title and then tell them to figure it out,” she says. The first step? Making sure everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to do. “It’s important for each employee to understand the role of their position and their deliverables,” Denise explains. No guessing games, no shifting targets. Just clear expectations from the start. This might sound basic, but when companies grow fast, these fundamentals often get lost in the rush.
Motivating Through Recognition
Here’s where many leaders get it wrong. They think accountability means keeping people scared. Denise sees it differently. “Motivation is not just holding their feet to the fire as many companies often do,” she points out. “It’s finding things that the employee is doing well and recognizing them for it.” Don’t think this means expensive perks or fancy trips. Recognition does not necessarily mean a fancy trip,” Denise notes. “It could be a thank you or a call out during a team meeting.” She goes on to say, “I find that it is easier and more productive to lead with positive treatment rather than constant threats. I know that this is the way that all of us like to be treated.”
Addressing Performance Issues Head-On
Nobody likes having these conversations. But Denise learned early on that avoiding them hurts everyone. “There’s nothing worse than watching a colleague underperform next to an over-performing employee,” she says. “It hurts the motivation of the team.”
When someone’s not cutting it, time isn’t your friend. “If action needs to be taken for a particular employee, it is important to take action and not delay,” Denise emphasizes. This isn’t about being harsh – it’s about being fair to everyone. “This can be difficult but it is important in a manager’s career to be able to recognize who is dropping the ball and whether the failure, or failures, can be fixed or if the employee is not a match for the company.”
Running teams at early-stage companies means every hire matters more. There’s no room for confusion or non-performing employees. “These are challenges for every business but even more so in a startup where resources can be thin,” Denise notes.
Her three-step approach cuts through the complexity: clear roles and responsibilities, positive reinforcement, and swift action on performance issues. It’s not rocket science, but it works. As she puts it, these steps are worth “always keeping in mind as you move forward with your teams.”
To learn more about Denise Ruffner, check out her LinkedIn profile.
