Step 1 – Request:

Clearly define the desired outcome of what you are intending to communicate to the other person or persons. Think of it as starting with the end in mind. If you’re not clear, they will not be clear either.

Step 2 – Ask:

Ask the other person, “How clear is my request on a scale of one to ten?” Of course, depending on their response, you may have to go back and explore the area or areas to which there may not be clear. Do this until you get an answer of at least a nine or 10 on the scale. Again, you are seeking ultimate clarity.

Step 3 – Discussion:

Allow the other person or persons to participate in some sort of dialogue. This may include but not be limited to any questions, concerns or lack of clarity they may have about what it is in actuality that you are requesting that they do.

Step 4 – Play Back:

Ask people to then play back what they have understood you to say and/or have heard. This is an important part of this process before you go forward. If they are hearing red, however you meant green, you really have nothing. Think about it!

Step 5 – Recap:

Depending upon the person to who you are conversing with, you or the other person may then summarize again to ensure ultra clarity before moving forward. By ‘recap,’ we mean to play back what it is that the other person heard; not necessarily in its entirety, but enough for the other person to feel that both of you are on the same page.

Step 6 – Time Lines:

Without time lines in the accountability process, we really have nothing. Your conversation merely becomes just a bunch of talk versus completed action. So be sure to establish the timeframe for the item or task that you have requested.

Step 7 – Support

Be sure to ask what help and/or resources others need from you and/or your company to ensure completion of the requested item. This is where you begin to become a real coach. Remember, you want to help or support them; however, you do not want to do this for them, which is enabling and in the end, you will be working harder because you will be doing their job for them.

Step 8 – Check-In:

Between the start of the requested outcome and the committed timeframe of completion, be sure to touch base with the person(s) to best insure they are on schedule. We refer to these as “check-ins” which means periodically checking in(distinctive of micromanaging) to ask how they are doing, how can you support them and maybe even a question about where they stand on the percentage of completion. Check-ins have two benefits: 1) It lets the other person know that you are not only on top of this and that you care; 2) It also lets them know you are there to support them – very important.

Step 9 – Close the Loop:

What are you going to do to best ensure accountability? For example: Where have you recorded when this assignment is due? How long do you plan on waiting for its completion? Check-in the day before? Check in by close of business on date due? Or, wait until the following day? Which do you feel will best insure accountability? You need some sort of process or this particular request could drag on for who knows how long, maybe forever which means you’ll never receive it.

Step 10 – What To Do:

What happens if your request for the desired outcome is not achieved by this person on time? If it’s not, you may want to consider asking the following very simple question: “If you were in my shoes and this didn’t get done within the committed timeframe, what would you do?” What are the consequences, if any that will be implemented if the project is not completed?

As you practice these steps they will come to you automatically, effortlessly and naturally and you will see a noticeable difference in productivity.

–Alan

As an Executive Coach I frequently travel for business. Whenever I board a plane, I’m always tempted to peek into the cockpit to see what the pilots are doing. On some basic level, I feel comforted when I spot the captain holding a piece of paper; pen in hand, studying their preflight checklist. As I board my flight, I’m assuming, of course, that the pilot already knows how to fly the plane. But seeing that checklist lets me know that the pilot’s objectives are the same as mine: making sure we have a safe flight.

The best way for you as the CEO, managing partner or leader in your organization to maintain “flight readiness” is through regularly scheduled executive coaching for accountability sessions. Note that I didn’t say, “casual, periodic, as-needed executive coaching sessions.” I mean, what would happen if pilots ran through the preflight checklist only when they felt like it or had some extra time?

Pilots always complete a preflight checklist. No matter how many hours they’ve flown, no matter how many times they’ve been in that same plane and found everything to be in order, they go through their preflight routine. They check out the weather, the maintenance log, their instruments, the flight pattern, and dozens of other things.

Now I’m not trying to say that every coaching for accountability session involves issues critical to safety. But complacency isn’t an option for coach-leaders any more than it is for a pilot.

To really hold people accountable, leaders need to be in touch with them routinely and frequently. Regular coaching for accountability sessions give you the structure to do that. Here are a few “pre-coach checklist’ items to include in your coaching sessions:

1.   Check-in; on a scale of what 1 to 10, how are they doing?

2.   Circle back to your last meeting with them and close the loop on what happened or did not happen in the interim.  Not closing the loop on what’s already out there is one of the biggest contributors to lack of accountability.  Whatever was discussed and/or committed to last time becomes just talk; no follow up = no accountability.

3.   As a coach, distinctive of dictator, ask your people how you can best support them without actually riding the bicycle for them.  It may sound something like, “What’s stopping, blocking or in your way of accomplishing X AND how can I best support you RIGHT NOW?”

4.  Request that they recap (summarize) your meeting and have them make specific commitments of action between now and the next time you meet.

5.  Schedule a time and date for the next session and repeat the process above.

To avoid emergency landings and crashes and ensure that your firm stays ahead of the competition, make sure you are meeting regularly, being a coach and using your “pre-coach” checklist.

All I knew — and all I cared about — was that when someone asked for a volunteer to coach a group of eight year old boys, a big man with a big laugh stepped forward.

We called him Mr. G.

Mr. G. inspired me. He was the kind of person who would have made a great managing partner or CEO.

Mr. G. knew his stuff. He knew the value of discipline. He established standards that laid the foundation for success: show up on time; show up every time; show up ready to play ball. He set clear goals, expected us to achieve them, and worked hard to help us develop our skills. He treated us with respect and asked for our opinions. In return, we respected him, even revered him.

Mr. G. knew kids. He knew how to lean over and talk to us, quietly and patiently, with a sober tone that conveyed how important baseball was — to him and to us. By taking baseball seriously, he helped us take ourselves seriously, commit ourselves to achieving our goals and he always let us be kids.

When we messed up, Mr. G. didn’t yell. He didn’t scream. He never called us names, or threw down his cap in anger, as we saw other coaches do.

Mr. G. explained how and why we goofed, and insisted that we try again. He never raised his voice and he never made us feel wrong or bad about our mistakes.

In fact, his coaching only made us more eager to learn. “Oh Alan, I know you can do better than that,” he’d say. And when he said it, I knew it was true.

His confidence gave us confidence, and helped us step up to the plate. It takes courage to step into the batter’s box, especially when you struck out last time . . . and the time before. But when someone believes in you, you develop the courage to try again, try harder, and improve.

With Mr. G., I felt motivated, excited and inspired. Because of his strict rules, I had to come to practice — but I went because I really wanted to — and that made all the difference.

And so it is, as you’ve probably noticed, with CEO’s, Managing Partners and leaders of all types. The successful ones know their stuff. They take the game seriously, but not themselves. They set clear goals and enforce strict discipline, yet their people want to come to work, want to produce, want to succeed.

Successful leaders love people the way Mr. G. loved kids. Genuine affection shines through in all of their interactions. They smile, they laugh, they listen respectfully to the people in their firm or business. And when those people make mistakes, effective leaders notice, comment, and correct in a way that’s helpful rather than humiliating, supportive rather than stifling.

Mr. G. was a real person, not just a convenient illustration of my point. Because he was a real person, he wasn’t perfect. No one is. To me, Mr. G. didn’t have weaknesses because his strengths were so obvious and memorable and because he was so influential in my own young life.

You’re a real person and so am I; therefore, we’re not perfect. We’re going to make mistakes and forget to do things. When interacting with the people in your CPA or Law firm, you won’t always respond with the correct tone of voice. You won’t always plan well or say exactly the right thing.

I share the Mr. G. story with you because he showed me, at an early age, and in a very real and tangible way, how to hold people accountable for their own success. The lesson I took away from Mr. G. was that accountability is what it’s really all about.

If you want to succeed, you have to show up on time, show up every time, and show up ready to play.

You need to step up to the plate and to always be in the game.

Just like baseball, learning to hold others accountable takes practice. Just like baseball, accountability is a team game.

So, who’s the coach? It’s you!

I am urging you to step up to the plate to claim your leadership role and actively, effectively, and consistently coach your players to be accountable to achieve better business results for your firm.

The buck starts here . . . with you . . . now . . . today.

—The above is an excerpt from my new special report, Stepping Up to the Plate: 7 Accountability Strategies that Will Actually Make a Difference to Your Bottom Line. To get instant access to the entire 30-page report for free go to www.accountabilityexperts.com