Web Reliability

As above, a team that has an innate drive to serve can be trusted and relied upon over time. A team who is led by someone dedicated to low friction and team serenity can sustain their drive to serve over a long period of time. But both of these break down without management, without accountability, without continuous improvement.

A well-run team, one that performs reliably over time, is supported and protected from itself through systems of accountability. I think of accountability as a dedication to continuous improvement. Good accountability means allowing the members of the team to learn about themselves and improve over time. This works best when the activity is continuous. A habit of continuous improvement is a salve for the always troublesome human ego. Humility is the antidote to selfishness and attachment to self. Continually, regularly reviewing and questioning the self desensitizes the self from the pain of criticism. Which is better, to be constructively criticized by yourself and your peers once a year or once a day?

Ongoing continuous improvement can be likened to the working of a muscle. A healthy muscle is one that is strong but more importantly, flexible. Developing the flexibility to regularly receive the stress of criticism makes it easier to take that criticism and respond effectively to it. Ongoing and continuous accountability is the form of management that supports healthy flow within a team.