The Accountability Partner

We heard a great idea from a workshop participant last week. During a two-day class on Executive Presence, one of the participants mentioned his plan for skill development after the class was over. And in particular, he said something fascinating… he mentioned working closely with his “accountability partner.”

We pushed him a little, to tell us more. And he shared that he had a colleague that he worked with, and they would hold each other accountable for whatever professional improvements they wanted to make. The theory is pretty simple. Once someone else knows your goals, and you give each other license to push each other, you are more likely to stay on course.

The idea isn’t new… but I had never heard the term “accountability partner” before. And once I heard it, it got me thinking once again about the power of accountability.

My colleagues and I work every day to help people improve their communication skills, and we always encourage people to create a plan. But after this conversation last week, we are also going to start encouraging people to not only have a plan. But also to find an accountability partner to help them stay on course.

I love it. I am going to do this myself. And I encourage you to do the same.

Have a great day.

Does your team:
– Overwhelm the audience with too much detail?
– Make things too complicated?
– Fail to ask for what they want or need?

Does your organization:
– Waste time because of poor internal communication?
– Take too long to make decisions?
– Struggle to clarify and frame discussions?

Do your leaders:
– Exhibit poor executive presence?
– Lean on incomplete communication skills?
– Fail to align the organization?

We transform teams and individuals with repeatable toolsets for persuasive communication. Explore training, coaching, and consulting services from The Latimer Group.

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Dean Brenner

A book about change

The Latimer Group’s CEO Dean Brenner is a noted keynote speaker and author on the subject of persuasive communication. He has written three books, including Persuaded, in which he details how communication can transform organizations into highly effective, creative, transparent environments that succeed at every level.