When working with many leaders and organizations, a common theme that is presented is the challenge of holding others accountable without micro-managing, or worse yet, making the individual you’re trying to hold accountable feel deflated.

When I was learning the art of coaching, and getting certified as a professional coach, accountability was defined as “having your clients account for what they said they were going to do.” When I work with my clients, together we create the action they plan to take and be held accountable for. They decide how they will let me know that they have completed the action. And, when I am curious as to whether the goals are realistic, we discuss this, as committing to something that cannot be accomplished in the timeframe, or without the proper support, will just lead to frustration, overwhelm, disappointment, and missed deadlines. This process makes it easier for the client to commit, as they have the buy-in; they take ownership for the action for which they want to be held accountable, and they decide how they will be held accountable, and finally, they confirm that they have committed to a realistic goal. Yes, sometimes I check in with them during our next meeting to confirm the action was completed, and that is often by design – their design.

It may not feel like this process could easily be implemented in the workplace when work needs to happen within a specified deadline. When setting up an accountability for an assigned project or task, consider how can you not only get buy-in from your direct report or other individual taking on the assignment, but, more important, how can you co-create the accountability? And, how can the two of you be sure the goals and timing are realistic? When you are in conversation with the employee who will be responsible for the work, what could it look like if you discussed, in a two-way dialogue, what is needed and together worked on what the solution could look like so that they are energized and motivated to tackle the work? Once defined, having mutual agreement on what the action or assignment is ensures clarity of expectations, likely to result in a successful outcome.

Often, it is in fact the lack of clarity around expectations that causes accountability to fail. If you want to overcome the challenges of accountability, clear, two-way communication is essential.

Accountability is critical if you want to achieve results. If this has been a challenge for you, your team, or your company, I can help. Let’s connect so we can discuss your needs.

“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result.” – Bob Proctor, Author