Is Accountability in the Advisors toolkit?
I recently attended a meeting of successful executive coaches. One of the topics was comparing different coaching methods, and I realized there was an emerging theme that had a lot in common with the advice of one of my favorite writers on habits, James Clear (www.jamesclear.com). In his book Atomic Habits, one of the key tips in breaking a bad habit is to get an accountability partner. These coaches were talking about the importance of accountability between a coach and an executive. Which made me wonder if accountability had a role to play between clients and advisors
No matter our job or place in life, we all get side-tracked or interrupted from bigger goals. Accountability partners who know our desired outcomes are there to help remind us that we are not where we want to be and provide options or advice on how to get back on track. This seems like a great tool for an active advisor. Lots of advisors wait for the call from the company or client to get us activated and engaged. We’re usually brought in by the business as problem solvers or frequently “open the door” contacts. But if you’re a client who wants a little more impact from your advising-relationship, then maybe try setting up an accountability plan with your advisor.
Some examples:
If you are a VC-backed CEO, your next milestone you must hit to get the next round of funding may be your most important desired outcome. Check in with your advisor frequently on this milestone and brainstorm how to remove any obstacles you are facing. The repetitive nature of the check-ins means you won’t have to waste as much time bringing anyone up to speed and the habit of talking about a problem actually starts naturally moving our brains towards solving modes.
If you’re managing all the critical functions by yourself and putting off recruiting because you are too busy with the daily business, the advisor can help put together recruiting milestones so that at some point in the future your current situation will be changed. And you will have some great new teammates helping you scale faster than you thought possible.
If you know a disruption is coming to the business, but it is so overwhelming that you don’t know how to prepare for it, what a perfect opportunity to put together a gameplan with your advisor - breaking it down to the smallest possible steps and being accountable for these tiny actions because you know over time these actions will get you in a better position to take advantage of disruption.
Advisors generally help clients solve business problems - including problems of lack of accountability.
Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash
