Many of my clients enjoy checking in with me at the start of their sessions as to what they have achieved since our last session, proving that they have been accountable for their actions and if they have not looking at why this may be and if they are still important. When you are the owner of a business or in a senior position it is very challenging to be your true self. People struggle with goal setting and if you are at the top of your game who can you report into with tasks you have completed and or not. Where do you get the recognition for being accountable?
The definition of accountability – Accountability is when an individual or department takes responsibility for the consequences for their performance or actions. Accountability is essential for an organisation or society. Without it, it is difficult to get people to assume ownership of their own actions because they believe they will not have to face the consequences.
What are the main principles – anyone that follows the principles of accountability, transparency, participation, evaluation or feedback, are more likely to develop best practices and be more successful.
Why is this so important – Accountability eliminates the time and effort you spend on distracting activities and other unproductive behaviours. When working with people from a coaching perspective we help people be accountable for their actions, help them to value their work, when done right, accountability can really help people with their confidence as they learn to deliver when they say they will.
This week I was at the start of a coaching session and I asked my client what she would like to cover in the session. My client explained that she often gets distracted with everything going on in her business, so sometimes the important tasks can be forgotten about. She explained that she wanted to be held accountable to completing her daily jobs and felt it would be useful to report her accomplishments to me each day to feel the reward of explaining what she had achieved that day.
This client of mine is by no means alone. I speak to many people who are easily distracted, whereby one of the biggest culprits can be getting lost in social media. Social media is great for many things but it can also easily suck you in, then before you know it an hour has gone by. This not only wastes time, but it also leaves you feeling unproductive and increases the difficulty of focusing on new tasks ahead because of this disappointment.
Being accountable is really important for you and your business. If you book in an appointment with a client, how do you think that client will feel if you call them late or not at all? Do you think they will value you and your service? You are constantly building a relationship with your client. Just because they have started working with you doesn’t mean they may continue if you are always late or don’t meet deadlines, and they are much less likely to refer you. Learning to be more accountable is hard but if certain procedures are followed through and areas of importance and less important areas are highlighted this will help.
In a coaching session we can look at what are you trying to achieve. Have you given yourself a realistic time frame to complete the task and is it providing value to you and your business? Are you committed to achieving a high standard when you complete the task or are there other things that are conflicting your ability to perform well? Coaching will help make you more accountable, deal with issues that are holding you back such as distractions and your values relating to business development.
I can help, people can book a FREE 30 minutes, on my contact page from my website.