Becoming a better leader by utilizing coaching skills – Part 6 Planting the seed

Are you a person who follows through on their commitments, or do you need constant reminders to complete a task? When it comes to accountability, we all have different needs as to how much oversight we consider to be appropriate to keep us on track, and for leaders, it is important to understand what those needs are to balance oversight and not fall into the traps of micromanagement or blame.

In the corporate environment, people are commonly managed through goals to achieve desired behavior and results. Exceeding those goals consistently, typically leads to growth and advancement. On the other hand, when an employee is either incapable or disengaged and misses their goals, the performance of the entire team can be negatively impacted.

As a professional coach, I am responsible for holding clients accountable for their commitments so that they progress toward the goals they set for themselves. This is a skill set that leaders can greatly benefit from to drive the performance of their teams. Here are a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to holding others accountable:

Do’s

• Ask your employees how they want to be held accountable to be successful.
• Check on their level of commitment to the task. What obstacles could get in the way and what might you do to help remove those?
• What intervals of check-ins can you both agree on? As a manager, you need to give your employees some freedom, yet not go too long between follow-ups so that you can intervene when commitments are not being kept.
• During check-ins ask open-ended questions about what progress has been made
• Praise your employees for the progress achieved.

Don’ts

• Assume that one approach works for all people.
• Become a micromanager.
• Pass judgment or blame when commitments were not fulfilled. Instead, ask with curiosity about what got in the way.

I am certain that your employees will appreciate being held accountable in a mindful way that demonstrates a level of trust and support. If you happen to deal with a challenging employee who notoriously fails to follow through on their commitments, find out what keeps getting in the way. In the end, as the leader you are accountable for the success of the entire team, and following these do’s and don’ts on how to hold others accountable will help you to keep them on track.

If you need an accountability partner to consistently crush your goals, reach out to me at angela@belladonnacareercoach.com.