Accountability and Personal Success – Part 3

Welcome back!

In Accountability and Personal Success – Part 2 we started to look at the six significant factors in goal setting and personal achievement. As discussed by Marshall and Kelly Goldsmith.

Before we move on I want to mention again a crucial factor in reaching personal goals.  In my experience as a coach if a client comes to me with a set of personal goals it is worth exploring where the goals came from before holding my client accountable for them. If the client is having these goals imposed on them, if they don’t understand or agree with them, then no amount of accountability is going to help them achieve these personal goals.

Commitment to change and being accountable needs to come from a good place. Having to do something because your boss tells you to, or because you believe it is expected of you, or because you think it is the “right thing to do” will not compel you forward.

Some initial work on exploring your values and determining what you really want from the coaching process will increase the likelihood of your personal success.

OK…so today we’ll finish up this topic by looking at the last three factors as described by Marshall and Kelly Goldsmith.

Factor 4: Distractions

At the time a person sets a goal or makes a commitment to change, their future is a big blank canvas.

The sales target that they have set themselves or the fitness routine that they have committed to, for them, is the only challenges on the horizon.

But guess what?

Storms can and will crop up from nowhere. New paths can reveal themselves. Perhaps, despite their best efforts, you’ll get sick, or lose a major account, or win a bigger account than they ever imagined!

The research on goal setting indicates that individuals almost always underestimate the distractions and competing goals that will inevitably crop up.

Implications

Knowing that distractions are bound to arise, you can prepare yourself.  This doesn’t mean worry about them, simple consider some of the potential distractions.

You can do this by building in time buffers to your personal goals that you might not otherwise consider. This is helpful by thinking of some “scenario planning” where you explore a series of “what ifs” to ensure you’re ready for a range of eventualities.

For me, when the distractions pass, this gives me a unique position to gently re-engage my client with their long-term goals so that the distraction remains simply a distraction, and not a permanent deterrent or opportunity to give up.

Factor 5: Rewards

Sometimes when setting personal goals a person can become despondent that success in one area doesn’t bring the immediate rewards that they desire.

For example, you might want to work on your communication skills and may find it frustrating that the change you’re working on is not immediately recognized by those around you.

A business leader who builds their skills through coaching and then doesn’t get an immediate promotion may feel disappointed.

There is considerable research indicating that companies that invest in leadership coaching have greater long-term profits. However, there is no research to indicate that companies that employ coaches have greater short-term profits. The change process almost always leads to long-term success rather than short-term success.

If it were possible to learn how to be more focused, to be aligned with your values and to gain more joy from achievements through a short course…well…this would be the most popular course in the world!

If it were possible to learn how to communicate in a way that sustains and builds those around you to achieve greater business success from a book, it would be a bestseller.

These “transformational” skills are notoriously difficult to develop and sustain. (Moreton, 2007) The rapid development of coaching as a field is, in part, due to its effectiveness in supporting clients to tackle these difficult but incredibly powerful skills.

Implications

Some explanation about the benefits and limitations of coaching can be of great use before you engage in the coaching process. Coaching is not a quick fix. Coaching is a long-term investment in your personal development. It works best in the areas that are the hardest for you to develop through other means, i.e. books, audios, seminars, etc.

I always consider the “minimum time” I will need to invest when working with a client.

If the client wants to tackle significant behaviors built up over time that will create long-term benefits, then I need to let them now that they are not going to be able to do this in three weeks.

Many coaches insist on a minimum period of 3 months for coaching (I work on a minimum of 1 month depending on the outcome of the Introductory Consultation). I do offer a discount for the client signing up for 3, 6 months and One Year.

If you are only willing to work for a smaller period than this, make sure you are clear about what is likely to be achieved in this short period so that you don’t begin with unrealistic expectations.

Factor 6: Maintenance

Often my clients find making a change easy but maintaining it hard.

“Once a goal setter has put in all of the effort to achieve a goal, it can be tough to face the reality of maintaining changed behavior.” (Goldsmith & Goldsmith)

I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of “yo-yo dieting” where an overweight person goes on a dramatic weight reduction diet and loses large amounts of weight, only to find that they put even more weight back on because they can’t maintain the restricted diet they set for themselves.

They then look for another short-term diet to lose weight again. Each time they go back and forth (like a yo-yo) their confidence diminishes and they do enormous damage to their bodies.

The “yo-yo effect” can occur in many different types of goals. A person aiming for a one-off return or “state” rather than embarking on a “lifelong journey” may move at a pace that they can’t maintain. Once they achieve their short-term goal, they can become overwhelmed at the thought of all the hard work that they will have to do to remain at that fast pace.

Implications

There are a number of strategies that I employ to ensure that my clients don’t unwittingly “support” the “yo-yo effect.”

Firstly, in my discussions I frame my client’s development as a “process” or “journey” rather than a destination.  This is something to consider if you plan to take on your personal develop solo.

Secondly, I acknowledge the small steps they have taken along the way.  This is to encourage an attitude of gratitude and celebration.  Again, keep this in mind if you will not be using a coach to reach your personal goals.

 Finally, I must give my client feedback if I think the client is moving at an unsustainable rate.  This one is going to tough for you if you plan on being a lone wolf.

Managing Accountability

Managing accountability is a complex thing and varies enormously from person to person.

Holding a client accountable for their commitments will only work if this is what the client wants.

People should be free to talk through issues without having to make firm commitments before they are ready. Beware of committing to short term goals because this is what you think you others expect.

I normally talk to my clients about what they expect from me with regard to accountability. I make sure that the language they use to make commitments is clear to both of us and that they feel supported.

Questions I ask (and you can ask yourself) include:

• “Are you ready to make a commitment to that goal?”

• “Can I check with you next time on how you went with that?”

• “Would you like me to hold you accountable for that goal?”

I also ask them about their past history of success.  Please consider these as well:

• What goals have you achieved in the past?

• How did you do this?

• What accountability did you have?

• What accountability may have been helpful at the time?

A Gentle Art

Accountability is one of the most complex aspects of coaching and supporting others.

Reminding a person of a goal or commitment in a way that doesn’t judge or control is challenging to manage and takes practice. Helping a person discern what might be holding them back from reaching their dreams takes a high level of trust between coach and client, or any two individuals.

Accountability needs to be carefully balanced with encouragement, enthusing and acknowledging. It needs to come from an understanding of how challenging real change and achievement can be.

For me, this comes from an absolute belief in the power of coaching to enact real change. When I believe that a personal goal is attainable then this belief will flow on to the client.

The client will feel the energy from me and be compelled to move forward to reach their personal goals and achieve their personal success.

Contemplation

• What are some ways that a coach can encourage you to keep commitments?

• How can understanding the nature of achievement help reaching your personal goals?

References

• Goldsmith, Marshall and Goldsmith, Kelly, 2000, “Why Coaching Clients Give Up and How Effective Goal Setting Can Make a Positive Difference” in Goldsmith, Marshall and Lyons, Laurence, (eds), Coaching For Leadership, Pfeiffer, San Francisco, California
• Ruiz, Don Miguel, 2007, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Amber Allen Publishing, San Rafael, California