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Holding Others Accountable

Holding others accountable did not come naturally to me. I used to weave in my emotions and apply pressure at different points – I'm sure you can imagine how well that turned out.

Like most things, there's a framework. And when applied it leads to productive conversations and increased efficiency. All without getting any emotions involved!

To note, it is the one thing you cannot delegate. For managers it's part of the job description, and as employees a key skill to master. So, how to hold others accountable in 3 steps:

1. Create the Contract

Accountability emerges from a contract between two parties.

The contract must focus on the desired outcome, not the steps to get there. Clarify things like:

  • By when?
  • How can we measure progress?
  • We achieved the outcome when...
  • How will we stay in sync about progress?

When negotiating always be inviting and re-affirming the question "can I count on you?"

"I need this tomorrow, can you do that?"

It invites them to provide input, which fosters conversation and sparks their buy-in.

Question: "What do you need from me?"

  • Is there an understanding of what's expected from each party?
  • Agree on that expectation

2. Examine the Outcome

What went well?

Celebrate those things.

Diagnose the things that didn't go well

For missed expectations, examine:

  • Were they understood?
  • Were they reasonable?
  • Was the unwanted outcome within your control?
  • Is it fair to expect them to overcome the issue they encountered?
  • What changes can we make so it doesn't happen again?

3. Agree on Path Forward

There are only two options in a healthy chain of trust:

  • Either rely on each other, or
  • Find new links for the chain

In my experience, factors outside of a person's control typically led to the missed outcomes. If not, it's provided me an opportunity to do a better job of setting expectations.

At the end of the day, we're human and it's all relationship based. Start in faith and let it build into trust. Having open conversations about what's not working and the consequences is healthy.

Examine, question and re-align.