What are the best ways to develop a habit of accountability?

Setting clear expectations and SMART goals is crucial for developing accountability. Breaking down goals into smaller tasks with deadlines helps maintain focus and motivation. Regularly reviewing progress and adjusting plans as needed fosters accountability e.g., Project manager may hold weekly check-ins to assess milestones and address any challenges promptly. Celebrating achievements and learning from setbacks e.g., Sales team could acknowledge top performers and analyze strategies of those who faced difficulties to improve overall performance. Seeking feedback and support from others e.g., Business owner may join a peer accountability group to share challenges, receive advice, and stay motivated towards achieving business goals.

Accountability is the outcome when you are engaged by whatever you are doing. Whilst many leaders attempt to engage followers with extrinsic motivational rewards like bonuses, it is intrinsic inspiration that triumps. To develop the habit of holding yourself accountable for any work you are responsible for, breed the habit of reminding yourself how what you are doing serves whatever is highest priority in your life. This repetitive reminder prompts you to get your work done as you understand how it is serving you. Creative thinking beyond just it providing a means to an end is required. Thinking aligned to the end in mind ie your highest priorities in life, is what is required. This inspires ownership of your work.

In my experience, the best way to hold myself accountable was to figure out why it is I want to do it in the first place. For example, if I want a healthy diet, why is it that I'm putting myself through that? The answer being because when I'm 70 I want to be able to do a Tough Mudder gives me a different level of motivation. After I do that, I create a schedule and routines that support it, focusing on getting better rather than being perfect 100% of the time

Starting with clear goals is like making a personal deal with yourself. It's about knowing exactly what you want to achieve and why. This approach turns big dreams into a plan with steps that are easy to follow. It's like saying, "I want to get better at my job by learning a new skill within six months," and then breaking it down into smaller goals. This way, it's easier to stay on track and see how far you've come. Keeping things clear from the start helps you stick to your plan and makes the journey towards your goal feel more real and achievable.

When leading a team, regardless if it is a team of peers or of people that you lead, the main objective is to define two things. The scope and the objective. Looking at the team canvas it is clear that these two are the most important things to define (as clearly as we can) in order to have a clear direction for the activities. SMART is a simple but effective way to define it although it has some "difficulties" hidden in its semplicity. For that reason, we need to practice to have an objective well defined

What doesn't get measured doesn't get done! However the key for me is tracking the things that are in your control, in a way that makes you want to do it. Keep it simple

For me it is really about understanding the journey. It's not just ticking boxes; it's about recognising what works for you and what doesn't. When you monitor your progress, you get to see firsthand the areas where you excel and where you might need a bit more focus. This isn't just about finding flaws; it's about celebrating every step forward and learning from each experience. Using apps or journals can make this easier, turning a chore into a simple part of your routine. Also when you take time to review your progress, it's like giving your efforts a spotlight. This reflection isn't just for adjustment; it's a crucial part of growing and getting better at whatever you're aiming for.

When defining the objective, we need to understand also the "quality part" in term of compliance, time and costs. Having lead and lag KPIs will help adjusting the activities on the way to success. To do it in the most effective way a visual panel or, more generally, visual supports are in my experience the most effective

You cannot measure what you don't track. Once you have your why and your goals, you can set up weekly checkins with yourself or find an accountability partner to help you stay on track. These moments can also help identify what perhaps didn't go well, so you prevent the same from happening in the future.

Seeing your progress helps you see how far you have come. The brain likes to see results. The result does not necessarily mean positive outcomes everything, but seeing what you are doing and how you are improving. With a path to the future, you tend to become more motivated to move forward.

I have what I call an "Accountabuddy" to help me stay accountable. He is an ex work colleague and we speak on Zoom on the first Friday of every month. We check in with each other and then ask how we have got on with the short and longer term goals we have set ourselves. It's a really valuable relationship.

From my experience, seeking feedback and support significantly boosts accountability. It's not just about gathering opinions; it's about creating a feedback loop that sharpens focus and refines strategies. Engaging with mentors and peers offers fresh perspectives that challenge my assumptions and push my boundaries. This has been crucial for personal growth, turning setbacks into learning opportunities and achievements into stepping stones for future goals. Also, being part of accountability groups introduces a collective energy and commitment that individual efforts might lack. It's through these networks of support that I've learned the real value of collaboration and feedback in achieving personal accountability.

You can only take yourself so far. Working 1-1 with a coach or therapist can hold you accountable. You can also consider joining a group or class. Embrace vulnerability, talk about your struggles with others, and practice self-compassion in the process.

You don't have to do it all alone. By sharing your goals and asking for feedback and support, you can help yourself to stay accountable, but also to get to your goal faster. Personally, whenever I set myself a more difficult goal, I often worked with a coach to keep myself accountable, and also get their input to reach my goal in the most efficient way possible.

Having support and just general feedback when needed can be extremely valuable. I consider myself an accountability partner to many and I am fortunate to have that in some as well. Sometimes having that space where someone can reinforce and keep you honest to what you’ve set out to achieve can make all the difference in your execution and overall ability to just reach those accomplishments.

The thing about owning mistakes and failures is understanding that these are simply part of the process of growth Taking personal responsibility is the way to train your mindset muscles. Accountability for something also starts with knowing who you want to BE. Instead of looking at it as a mistake, get curious about what made it happen. —what thoughts did I have before this happened? —what assumptions were made? —was it driven by emotion, or by more data/truth? —what perception did I have going into it? This leads to questions about evaluation, a key to moving forward —what worked well? 3 things —what didn’t work well? —what can I do differently? Be specific with these answers Also, mistakes are the FUN part of growth!

From my experience, really taking responsibility for my mistakes has been key to getting better at what I do. It’s about looking closely at what went wrong, not to beat myself up, but to figure out how to improve. This honesty with myself and others has built trust and shown that I’m serious about my work. It’s turned mistakes into lessons that help me, and even my team, grow. We’ve learned to see challenges as chances to learn, making our workplace more open and supportive. It’s all about facing up to errors and using them to move forward smarter.

Taking accountability to own your mistakes and failures is a strength in life. If you are able to take accountability that’s where the real work begins for growth, learnings, healing, etc.

Every single day, I strive to be the best version of myself. Every. Single. Day. Some days I am on top and shining... Some days, life hits me hard and all I can do is smile and nod and just hope upon hope, I can make it through. Overall, it's my choice to choose joy. To choose happiness. And most importantly, I choose to always try to be a good human.

Celebrate your failures! Why? Failing at any action, is a rich learning opportunity. You tried when most don't and will often learn more from what doesn't work than from what does work. It doesn't matter that you made a mistake, what matters is that you keep going.

Rewarding yourself and others when developing a habit of accountability is crucial. Here's a useful approach I use: 1. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize each step towards accountability. Did you meet a deadline? Celebrate it! This reinforces the habit. 2. Use the 'Temptation Bundling' Technique: Bundle an activity you love with an accountability task. Love reading? Do it after completing a task. It's your reward! 3. Share Successes: When others meet their accountability goals, celebrate together. It boosts morale and encourages further accountability. When building accountability, remember: small celebrations spark big changes.

Especially when working with an accountability partner, it is great to celebrate successes. One fun example is to put your goals on small champagne bottles, and open them once you've achieved them!

Set higher expectations for yourself. There is a difference between being accountable for goals you set as opposed to setting higher expectations of yourself, wherein the thing you are concerned about being accountable for, becomes the norm for you. If you have the expectation of yourself to get up and run every day, then you don’t need something to hold you accountable because the running becomes your new norm.

Yes. Rewarding yourself will reinforce the great potential you have within you. Even a small reward will boost your motivation. It is not how small or big the reward that matters, but the act of rewarding is important.

Needless to say that the real added value is the "continuous improvement". In my coaching career, I always said that reaching a target is not the main goal. It's just one step to become our best version of ourselves. For that reason, we need to stop and make a regular review with the "improvement eye" and not with a judgemental approach

Honest reflection is crucial for learning! 🔍 How can this help? When struggling with accountability, pause and ask probing questions: What is holding me back? Who could help get me past this obstacle? Be candid with yourself to uncover the root of accountability challenges, gaining clarity on the underlying issues. Don't hesitate to reach out for advice and assistance; seeking help is a proactive step toward overcoming hurdles.

Be clear with yourself on what you are responsible for and what you're not. Being accountable involves knowing what's within your control and what's not, and then taking full responsibility for what's within your control.