Personal Accountability

This is an area which effects each one of us.

Consequently, we believe that it is important enough to warrant its own web page.

Taking personal responsibility for yourself is a Framework Foundational tenet along with being an integral part of our principles (i.e. see item 2.)

We highly recommend that you participate in this principle in all your interactions both personal, work and professionally - every where in your life.

For business people, we have some special recommendations. Please, first read the next few paragraphs. beginning with "Maximum Benefit" through "Look in New Places". This will prepare your thinking for something new before you begin with "For Business People Only".

Maximum Benefit

To allow you to get the greatest benefit from our many services and products,  no matter how you receive them, we suggest that you have someone, other than yourself, help hold you accountable.

Our experience has shown us that attempting to hold yourself accountable with no outside assistance can be temporary at best. We call this outside assistance an accountability partner.

You can accomplish this by finding someone who is like-minded and a considerate person, especially one who possesses a similar set of character, morality, achievement-focused and aspiration-driven traits, and behaviors.

You can find them - it may take some time but you will be successful.

Accountability Partner

An accountability partner is someone who will work with you on a consistent basis - we prefer weekly or semi-monthly.

The person you select to participate in your personal or business life should not be a mentor to you.

The objective is to hold yourself accountable for the goals and important things that you commit and verbally promise that you will accomplish, simply by making it known what you wish to do. Your partner can ask questions of you each session for the express purpose of you seeing patterns, stoppages, etc.: these hindrances could be long-held beliefs, opinions, preferences or past behaviors which are just not working today for you. Each person has a fixed time-slot of 10 to 15 minutes each meeting, one goes first speaking, while the other listens and asks questions.

You share and give undivided attention with your partner and they with you - uncritically and without judgment.

It is a long-term committed relationship that binds you together.

You are to help each other,  be present, and honest with each other.

Character Set For Partners

Our list is a starting point only. Select from the list that which works best for you. Use it when you speak with a prospective partner - better yet, have your partner review this page before you meet for the first time: let them bring their questions and ideas about what would work for them to your meeting. Feel free to enlarge this list as needed:

1. A loving and considerate person
2. A good sense of humor, especially able to laugh at themselves
3. Able to articulate their beliefs which at a minimum will include faith in themselves and others (plus - see higher power in 9.)
4. Considers themselves an aspirant - committed to learning and discovery
5. Possessing Character - able to speak truth, know it and see it in others
6. Demonstrates morality in their behavior; able to keep confidences
7. Possesses consistent patterns of behavior - ability to contribute
8. On the CAM Awareness Scale, rated overall at least an 8 or better.
9. Finally and preferably, they are connected spiritually in some way (i.e. whether deep within themselves and/or a higher power other than themselves or outside of themselves).

Meet In Person

We prefer you meet in person to discuss the character set frankly and openly when you are selecting a partner.

Get to know each other and discuss how you would handle issues and challenges; listening is a key strategy which works well and asking questions such as "How could you do this differently?" helps surface awareness for the other person.

We prefer never making critical judgment of the other person or telling the other how to do something. That's not what accountability is about - it is about you keeping your own commitments and understanding what get's in the way of you doing that. Over time you will gain awareness of what is occurring.

Setup a regular routine where you meet in person for the first 30 days - giving yourself enough time to know how each other communicates, how to surface what works and what does not: define and refine your accountability process and determine what tends to keep you focused toward you keeping the commitments you make. If problems arise (they will), stay and work through what is occurring. You will learn more than you think initially possible, if you give it a chance to work. After you each a have good understanding, move to the telephone mostly but meet in person at least once every 4 to six weeks.

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Look in New Places

We also suggest that the person you seek is not in your current circle of relationships. But, they are very likely in the social and business communities where you want to participate.

Seek people with similar traits to yourself and find them in your community domains of experience, professions, and industries.

You will gain from searching and having these conversations with people. 

The right person will present themselves at just the right moment for you - be patient and wait for that moment.

For Business People Only

Accountability in business can be a fluid and touchy subject, most normally in small and medium companies, although there are problems too in corporate enterprises.  Being able to accomplish your particular objectives, tasks and projects is highly dependent various internal and external conditions. One of the most important requirements is being able to access and use all the required resources you need to perform.  Input into your specific commitment is essential coupled with unequivocal metrics and methods for judging accomplishments. Clearly knowing what is expected and how you'll be measured is an absolute necessity - regardless of your position in the business.

Some performance based standards in mature businesses include:

• Ability to help set or adjust your business units or group goals (i.e. published targets and attainment) usually with links and visibility to critical company initiatives.
• Direct performance accountability with a first level leadership person, project or team.
• Formalized evaluations with your leadership, sometimes with team feedback for 360 reviews.
• Supporting education, training and implementation for continuous improvement.

Start-ups and small business are unique compared to the standards noted because little if any actual formalization is present. Tracking the evolution of business based upon formality and optimization characteristic levels (e.g. see five levels of the Capability Maturity Model) is helpful in understanding what is present during growth. Start-ups and small businesses would fall at the initial stage of level one where the organization would be characterized as chaotic, ad hoc, with individual heroics common to get business objectives accomplished.

There are significant differences between the five maturity levels. From the perspective of a level one and two companies, we suggest a custom approach that takes in account the in-place informal or formal structure. We can help you design a simple easy-to-use process to accommodate both the internal and external elements. Contact us to discuss how we might approach this with you.

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BEST REGARDS and Thanks for considering us.

We look forward to getting your feedback, and please Contact Us with what you experienced from our services and products.