Make 3 Changes™ Monday Mission #16 – The ABC’s of Accountability

Make 3 Changes™ Monday Missions

APRIL THEME: ACCOUNTABILITY

Mission #14:  Embracing and Inviting Accountability – April 4

Mission #15:  Your Secret Weapon: An Accountability Partner – April 11

Mission #16:  The ABC’s of Accountability – April 18

Mission #17:  The Absence of Accountability – April 25

 

MAKE 3 CHANGES™ MONDAY MISSION #16:  The ABC’s of Accountability

I hear the same refrain from the clients I serve about the teams they lead or are part of all the time.  These are the same complaints we have with our friendships and family relationships.

“We aren’t holding each other accountable.”  

“We aren’t talking about the real issues.”  

“We need better communication.”

After 20+ years, little has changed. I lead sessions every week that produce similar statements of frustration. The challenge is universal.

Time to agree that WE is simply a collection of ME’s.

Each individual has an opportunity to contribute and be accountable. When a person declines to speak up and hold themselves and others accountable, a precedent is formed, a culture is created.  It is a challenge to change the habit. It can be done! 

Extend an Invitation – To Yourself and Others 

Remember to extend the invitations that give people permission to show up at their best.  Be curious, not critical or cynical.  Be Present. Be Generous.  Ask for what you need.

Next, let’s review the ABC’s of Self Management and see if some of the solutions you seek are held within them.  As you peruse the list, notice which ones resonate with you.

The A’s 

Awareness.  Are you willing to shine the light on the issues you’re facing?  Once you become aware and others do too, it’s difficult to deny.

Assumptions. What assumptions are you making about the challenge or situation, the person?  Assumptions can be dangerous when left unchallenged or unexplored.

Attitude.  What’s your attitude about the challenge or situation? Could it be that it’s fueling discord and resistance? Is your attitude an accelerant or a coolant?

Action.  Take action! Make a commitment to take action. No more“I’ll do that when I have more time, money, energy, insert your go-to excuses and delay tactics here.” No more turning the other cheek to keep the peace at the expense of the organization, the team, the relationship.

Accountability.  Hold each other accountable.  Hold yourself accountable.  Every single time I do this exercise with a group they recognize that as much as they hate it when people show up unprepared or with a bad attitude, they are guilty of doing the same thing in certain situations.  None of us are immune.  Seek accountability.  Embrace it.  Leverage it.  Benefit from it!

The B’s 

Beliefs. Like attitudes, beliefs inform and impact how we show up and how we respond/react to particular situations, people.  What are the beliefs you have relative to your issue or team?

Behaviors. What are the specific behaviors you are noticing from yourself and others?  Are there patterns?  Are these behaviors working towards the common good, a common goal?  Are these behaviors running counter to the best interests of the group, of the relationship?

Bonds. What are the relationships like? People who know, like and trust each other work together more easily, are more willing to hold each other accountable and can handle a little conflict and tension better than those who don’t.  Strengthen the bonds of your team and watch the transformation occur!

Boundaries.  Knowing when and how to say NO is a powerful and practical skill.  Having permissions in the group to address when things are getting out of scope is key.  Create agreements that support healthy boundaries.

Boosters. What are the sources of inspiration, motivation and delight for you and the members of your team? It’s a long and sometimes lonely walk to the other side of changing a culture.  How can you create a culture that includes frequent “boosts” for members to refuel, recharge, recommit?

The C’s 

Curiosity.  Get curious.  Get curious about yourself, about others, about the organization, about the culture.  Getting curious keeps you open and leads to solutions.  Cultivate curiosity by always asking great questions to keep the ideas and solutions flowing.

Choice.  Make a choice to BE part of the change.  Do the work YOU need to do to serve as a model.  DECIDE to take the time, energy and effort you need to be your best.

Consistency.  Be consistent.  Consistent action yields results.  Even the smallest steps, over time, add up to great changes!  Look at what is happening consistently now.  Is it working FOR your team, FOR you or AGAINST you?

Communication.  Particularly in times of change, communication needs to be frequent, relevant, timely and appropriate.  Giving careful attention to how, when, with whom and in what context you communicate can be a game changer.  Think beyond the email and the standard meeting.  Get curious.  Get creative and communicate with impact!

Collaboration.  “Many hands make light work.” Work together, collaborate.  Each of you isn’t an island.  Leverage each other. Together you can accomplish what one of you cannot.  Find ways to reach across teams, across the organization, across your network to collaborate.

Which of these really got you thinking?

I challenge you to highlight the ones that resonated with you.

Make a commitment to improving in each of these areas.

Share this with your team and see if you can come to agreement on which of these are most important for improving the results and the culture in your organization.

What is possible if you are willing to take an honest look at who you are, how you show up and how you invite others to do the same?

MONDAY MISSION #16:  The ABC’s of Accountability    

MAKE 3 CHANGES™ towards greater accountability in your life.  

1. AWARENESS (not judgment) Become more aware of the areas in your life and the situations where you tend to avoid accountability. Create a practice of noticing and acknowledging when you run towards your default excuses.  Write them down and see if you notice a pattern.

2. BELIEFS.  Take a moment to write down the beliefs you have about the area or situation you are resisting greater accountability around.  All the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes you have around that “thing” are impacting your willingness to be more accountable. Writing them down and looking at them objectively and asking yourself how they are working for you or against you is a powerful exercise.

3. CREATE new beliefs, attitudes and thoughts that WILL serve you. Write them down on an index card or somewhere you can access them when you are confronted with another opportunity to embrace accountability. Review them, read them, recommit to the new way of thinking before you take action or make a decision.  Train your brain to think differently.  Create new patterns.

COMMIT TO THE CHANGES YOU WANT TO MAKE.  

Write them down!  Post them where you’ll see them.  Give them your attention.

Ask for accountability.  Experience the satisfaction that comes from living by design, not default.

LEAN ON ME 

If you love the idea of this but still have some questions about how to invite more accountability in your life, I’m happy to talk with you about it.  Let’s have a conversation. Give me a call! Choose the client accountability option.

DECLARE & SHARE!  

Let me know what you came up with and how you did!  Check the facebook page this week for additional resources and inspiration to help you create more accountability in your life.  Experience how doing so can make a difference in your life, the lives of those you love and the lives of those you lead!

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What is Make 3 Changes? 

Make 3 Changes™ is a framework designed to help leaders move forward during times of change, challenge and opportunity. For more information about the Make 3 Changes™ framework and how you can use it to navigate changes in your world with more clarity, confidence and commitment, email whitney@whitneybishop.com.

What are the Make 3 Changes Monday Missions?

These weekly missions are designed to get you thinking differently about various aspects of your life. Each month will feature several missions within a theme, helping you to build awareness, create alignment and take action. It is my hope they provide you with the tools you need to create positive and lasting change in your life, the lives of those you love, those you lead and those you serve. Always open to feedback about your experience. Let’s have some fun and make some changes!

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About Whitney Bishop

Whitney Bishop is a Change Agent who creates transformative experiences for leaders who are committed to making a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. She has designed a proven process to help leaders and their teams elevate their questions, create new possibilities and take deliberate action. Are you ready to discover the power of possibility and experience breakthroughs that will help you have greater impact and influence in the world? Let’s talk.