Some situations and people leave you clueless. Often, at the workplace, with friends, at family gatherings, some people don’t meet the expectations. To deal with the situation and get the best results, the accountability seekers try to have a conversation with them. But most of the time, they don’t know a general thing; how to hold people accountable?
The real problem with this question is that it is being misunderstood by many. It generally sounds like a punishment. And resultantly, these two mistakes commonly take place, making the matter worse. Either they give up even without a try, or they jump to a decision, without any discussion or a second chance.
Today, we will simply break down the important points relevant to holding someone accountable. By learning what accountability is, how to do this effectively, common scenarios, and its long lasting effects, you will easily resolve your disputes, whether it will be with your students, coworkers, friends, or family.
What Is Accountability & Why It Matters?
Accountability refers to taking responsibility for decisions, calling oneself to be answerable for his actions. For being accountable, a person should be responsible, open to communicate, and most importantly, mature.
Liability or being present to discuss the actions is important to resolve disputes and keep things going in the right direction. It brings integrity, builds trust, and drives growth in any circle, either it’s a person itself willing to be answerable, or someone has to do the job.
How to Hold People Accountable?
Here are some possible scenarios that require analysis. It could be a matter of an assignment, and the teacher wants a clear and original piece from his students. It might be a client-customer thing, where fulfilling tasks before the deadline is expected. The most common scenario is between family members indulging in some routine, but apparently a chaotic discussion.
Here is a researched-backed tip with 5 practical steps. Anyone can easily bring it into practice and receive what they expect from people.
Understand What You Want?
The foremost step is to clear your objectives and thoughts regarding the actions of the people. Usually, people ignore this, or they have no clear idea about what they want or desire. Consequently, they make wrong judgments, and what’s worse, they can’t start a conversation with coworkers. However, these simple steps will learn you how to start the process:
- Know clearly what outcome you want from people and their actions, e.g., results, grades, and law implementation.
- Analyze their performance, either in the workplace, personal place, or an official gathering.
- Compare your expectations with your analysis and find out the shortcomings.
Here are some important things to consider. One is that mistakes are part of work. Accept this fact and proceed accordingly. Moreover, always double check the stats, performance and your findings. This will prevent you from making wrong decisions and procedures.
Prepare Yourself Before The Discussion
Preparation and planning are essential whether you’re doing some work, having a discussion with people, or especially when you’re going head-to-head. Here are some tricks recommended to apply:
- Break down your thoughts and whatever you want to discuss. Prepare questions, proofs, and possible solutions to the problem.
- Research a little on people’s behaviour, especially when they are held accountable. You can visit some relevant websites or ask people who have knowledge and experience in this.
- Create a strategy to proceed smoothly and keep the discussion productive. For instance, there are some ways to start the conversation. Likewise, some words affect people’s psychology in a different way compared to others.
- Choose an appropriate time and a favorable environment for discussion. Recommendably, it would be a one person meeting when that person is ready to receive the feedback.
- Practice before going into the talk.
Practice makes the process easy and helps to proceed flawlessly. Most people don’t pay attention to this, only relying on their how-know. Considering the discussion is critical, and as a last chance helps you drive towards the practice.
Sharing With Whom You Want To Hold Accountable
Usually, the process will be easy after doing the first step. But here is the step most people find difficult. Not every time is the introvert personality that makes it hard to talk to people, but there are also some other reasons. For instance, sometimes people think about other people’s feelings, or struggle to break down the problem. Sometimes these are the people who make starting the conversation difficult, knowingly or unknowingly.
However, we bring the easy way to cope with the circumstances, whether you’re introverted, want to avoid an unexpected situation, or are dealing with difficult people.
- Stay connected with people involved in the project till it is ongoing. It could be an official or personal task.
- Understand the importance of conversation and the consequences of the otherwise situation.
- Share reports with them. The easy way is to start with positive feedback. Then move to their shortcomings.
- Keep it productive, discuss problems with your coworkers and try to find the solution. Offer them your support.
The key is to keep a balance between being disciplined and empathetic towards respondents. By bringing these steps into practice, you can easily do the most difficult round.
This approach becomes even more important in leadership roles, especially when learning how to manage managers without damaging professional relationships.
Keep The Tracking Ongoing
The purpose of holding someone accountable is not only to confront him and realize his mistakes. It should always be productive and have some big objective; to find the solution of the problem and solve it. It is more essential when you face an issue in your workplace.
Here are some tips you can practice. First of all, don’t hesitate to talk from time to time. Stay focused on your task and stick to your expectations. For official dealings, you can use digital tools to access the performance of coworkers. Continue this until the problem is solved and you get the desired result.
Motivate Others With Your Actions
People practice more what inspires them than what they learn. Although you are the one facing the problem, how to hold people accountable, you should not forget your responsibility. Don’t just be disciplined, but try to show them your behaviour towards your tasks and commitments.
By doing this, you will inspire the people, helping them keep motivated. This way, especially at the workplace, you can create an environment that keeps the people focused and productive.
What It Will Bring To The Table
Holding someone accountable might be difficult, especially when you feel someone would get annoyed or it would affect the project’s progress. But it’s critical for effective team performance, organization or party growth, and most importantly, for the completion of a project. Consider it as your task and try to fulfill it just like you do with your other tasks.
Getting someone to know about his actual output could have a fruitful impact in people’s lives and that circle. For example, you can bring prosperity to your country when you question a political party regarding its performance. Similarly, you can get your company recognition at the national or international level while managing your team in its tasks. If you’re a teacher concerned about your students, you can help them achieve high grades, evaluating their academic activities.
Whether you’re dealing with school assignments, non-competitive workers, or political agendas, this guide is for you. It learns how to hold people accountable in a simple and practical way. Once you will practice the steps we have discussed above and keep them a part of your routine, it will bring long-lasting benefits in your daily life.
