Clarifying Accountability with the FACE Tool 

Why the FACe Tool Matters

Many growing companies think they have an execution problem when in fact, they have an accountability problem. The cause is rarely a lack of care or effort. It’s almost always a lack of clarity. 

FACe stands for Functional Accountability Chart and the tool uses four fundamental questions to drive alignment:  

1. What are the essential functions in your business?  

2. Who is accountable for each?  

3. What activities drive success in those areas?  

4. What outcomes define success? 

If your executive team hasn’t clearly and collectively answered these four questions, you’re probably already paying the price — in the form of dropped balls, miscommunication, and wasted energy. 

Clarifying Accountability Isn’t About Job Titles or Hierarchy

The FACe tool is simple by design. It forces clarity. You’ll list the essential functions in your business — things like Sales, Marketing, Client Delivery, Finance, and so on — and name the one person who’s accountable for each. 

This isn’t about who contributes. Many people may be involved in a function but only one person can be accountable for outcomes. That distinction matters. 

To further amp up accountability, you’ll then determine a few KPIs — both leading and lagging — for each function. 

What the FACE Tool Covers

Each row in the tool includes 4 columns: 

1. Function – A major area of your business like Head of Company, Sales, Operations or HR. 
2. Accountable Person – One name only. This is the person who “owns” the results for that function. 
3. Leading KPIs – These are the activities or metrics that must be tracked to ensure the function is moving in the right direction. 
4. Lagging KPIs – The ultimate results or outcomes for that function. These are what success looks like. 

When you create this tool with your leadership team, the goal is shared clarity — so each person on the team knows who owns what. 

An Example – Sales Function

Below is an example of how to complete the tool for a common function like Sales. 

Notice that each of the leading and lagging indicators also has a minimum target associated with it.  Determining minimum targets can be tricky for companies that are not already in the habit of measuring performance.  Get something down and then work on getting it right. 

Now, as the CEO, you should separately ask: Would I enthusiastically rehire Bill to own this function? 

To be clear — the question is not whether you like Bill or whether he’s been with the company for a long time. The question is whether you believe he has the capability to deliver the desired outcomes. 

When teams go through this exercise, a few things often surface: – One person — often the CEO — is named across too many functions. – No clear accountable person for critical areas like recruiting or cash. – Significant disagreement on who owns what — especially across departments. 

That’s exactly the point. The tool surfaces confusion that’s already costing you time and energy.  It helps leadership teams see where accountability is missing, misaligned, or misunderstood. 

Pro Tips for a Better Working Session

• Have each person privately write in who they think is accountable for each function. Then compare responses. 
   

• Expect healthy disagreement. It helps reveal where the team lacks clarity. 
   

• Don’t overthink the KPIs at first. Just get version 1.0 down. You can improve it over time. 
   

• If your team struggles with metrics, that’s a sign you’ve got work to do — not a reason to skip the exercise. 

Want help using this tool in your business?

I offer a free 30-minute working session where we’ll walk through your FACE Tool together. We’ll identify gaps, surface accountability issues, and clarify what you need next. 

No slide deck. No sales pitch. Just time focused on helping you move forward. 

👉 Schedule a Free Call

You can also check out my Growth Tools page — you’ll find every tool I give my clients, plus a free self-assessment to see where your team stands: 

👉 Visit the Growth Tools page