Episode 17: The Language of Leadership: Transforming Accountability in Teams With Erik Berglund

Her First Million

Welcome back to Her First Million Podcast!

Today, we’re diving deep into leadership, accountability, and how to stop feeling like you're babysitting your team.

I sat down with Erik Berglund, a leadership expert who has cracked the code on getting people to actually do their jobs—without micromanaging.

If you’ve ever felt like you have to remind, nudge, or straight-up do things yourself because your team isn’t stepping up, this episode is for you. Erik shares five game-changing accountability questions that will help you build a culture where your people own their work—and you can actually breathe. 🙌

🔥 What We Talked About

💡 The Three Ways People Fail at Work

Let’s keep it real—there are only three ways someone can mess up in business:

1. They don’t do it at all.
2. They do it late.
3. They do it badly.

That’s it! Yet, as leaders, we act like the possibilities are endless and waste time overthinking. Erik says the trick is knowing exactly what to say when people drop the ball—and that brings us to his five magic questions.

💡 The 5 Accountability Questions You Need

Next time someone on your team doesn’t deliver, instead of getting frustrated, ask:

1. Can we talk about that? (Because getting their buy-in first avoids defensiveness.)
2. When did you realize you weren’t going to get it done? (This helps pinpoint where things went wrong.)
3. Why do you think that happened? (A little self-reflection never hurt anyone.)
4. What can you do differently next time? (Boom. Growth mindset.)
5. Can you go finish it now? (Because, yes, they still have to do the thing!)

👀 Why Leaders End Up Babysitting Their Team

Amanda shared a personal story from her bakery days (spoiler alert: she was unknowingly undermining her own staff by stepping in too much). We talked about how leaders often create their own chaos by overstepping, instead of letting people figure things out and take ownership.

💡 How to Fix It

• Stop reminding people—let them fail (gasp!) and learn from it.
• Give feedback in a way that builds trust, not fear.
• Ask your team how they want to be held accountable. (Seriously, just ask. It makes a huge difference!)

🔥 Favorite Mic-Drop Moments

💬 “Accountability feels like persecution to someone who’s never been held accountable before.” – Erik Berglund

💬 “If you always step in to fix the problem, your team learns they never really have to finish the job.” – Amanda Bedell

💬 “We’ve conditioned people to operate a certain way in our businesses, and it’s up to us to shift that conditioning if it’s not working.” – Amanda Bedell

📌 Resources & Next Steps

🚀 Books to Check Out:

• Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives
• Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
• Dare to Lead – Brené Brown

🔗 Connect with Erik Berglund

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emberglund

✨ Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!

Did this episode hit home? DM me on Instagram or drop a comment on YouTube! Let’s talk about what’s working (or not) in your leadership journey.

And hey—if this episode helped you, send it to a fellow entrepreneur who needs to hear it! 💛

Until next time, go build that million-dollar business with confidence! 💪🚀

Mentioned in this episode:

Her First Million Podcast Outro

Her First Million Podcast Intro