As the startup grows from a small group of co-founders to the first early employees and beyond, organizational accountability needs to scale as well. Co-founders, talking so frequently and being self-starters, often mind-meld on a daily basis and don’t need as much structure. Only, that doesn’t scale.
Here are a few ideas for accountability in a startup:
- Simplified One Page Strategic Plan – Get everyone on the same page. Keep it simple and current.
- Google Sheet KPIs Dashboard – Make the metrics transparent and open.
- Daily Check-ins – Spend 10 minutes aligning the team daily.
- Weekly Tactical Meetings – Review the strategic plan weekly.
- Quarterly Check-ins – Run the performance review quarterly.
Accountability in a startup takes work. Make it a system with the right rhythm, data, and priorities.
What else? What are some more thoughts on accountability in a startup?
David Cummings on Startups 
Totally agree. The format of our daily meetings is:
“What do I need to get done today and what’s stopping me from getting that completed”.
Our weekly meetings are a little bit longer and focus on the objectives for the week.
We review KPI’s on a monthly basis instead of doing it quarterly.
I’m amazed how many of my employees over the years have been afraid of me because I’m the owner of the company. I want an employee to say (occasionally), “Damn it, Kaz. You committed to getting this done by Friday and it’s not!” Holding other people accountable means holding yourself accountable and that helps ensure you are focusing on the right things.