Creating Team Member Accountability In Chiropractic

The Necessary Ingredient

Last week, I talked about the 6 Keys to Goal Achievement — the tools that close the GAP between where you are and where you want to be.

They were:

1. A Clear Goal

2. A Compelling Purpose (Your WHY)

3. A Plan of Action

4. Accountability & Feedback

5. Consistency Over Time

6. Course Correction

Each key matters. Remove one, and progress slips through your fingers. All are needed ---but accountability is the trigger.

Accountability is your feedback system: “Did it get done or not?”

All else is theory.

But for accountability to work, something has to come first.

WATERING THE LAWN

When I was about 10, my parents took a two-week vacation. It was summer, and we lived in a dry and burning hot climate. Before they left, my dad had asked me to water the lawn while he was gone. I probably said, “Sure.”

I never did.

When they returned, the lawn had gone from green to a pale brown. Kinda like… hay. My dad wasn’t really mad, more just disappointed. It was a simple job. Just turn on the sprinklers! So he wasn't asking much.

I felt bad, and I remember thinking, “Why didn’t I water the lawn?”

GREEN AND CLEAN

Stephen Covey tells almost the same story in one of his short videos. He gave his son the job of caring for their lawn.

Here’s how he got his son to water the lawn:

Once his son agreed to water the lawn, he took him to the front yard and showed him the neighbor’s lawn. He pointed out that it was “green and clean.” He then has him look at their lawn, which was brown and cluttered.

He had his son focus on the phrase “green and clean.” Not rules or steps, but an image. A purpose. Over time, once his son truly understood that the end in mind was green and clean, he could do the job on his own.

The lesson is simple: when the goal and purpose are clear, performance follows.

ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND LEADERSHIP IN YOUR CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE

Like it or not, we need feedback – and that’s accountability.

But accountability depends on understanding the purpose behind the action.

Once the why is clear, a sense of responsibility and ownership can grow. When people understand why a job matters — its effect on patients, teammates, or outcomes — the work gains meaning. It’s no longer just a task -- it’s part of a mission.

When staff member or chiropractor sees their contribution as essential to that purpose, they begin to own the result. Responsibility emerges naturally — they become their own boss.

Good leadership and management in a chiropractic practice make this happen.

In the end, the scoreboard tells the story — how well the team performed and… how effective the leadership truly was.

So, for accountability to take root, first clarify the purpose.

Do this often — for your team, and for yourself.

Next week: practical accountability tools and methods.

Until then, stay focused and keep driving toward your goals.

– Ed

You can watch the short video of Green and Clean on YouTube