The most important thing about accountability is to be able to recognize when we’ve made a commitment or a promise so that we can Own the Moment and keep it.

There are two types of commitments/promises that we have to track:

1. When we schedule something, like a meeting/appointment.
2. When we accept responsibility and say we are going to do something.

This means we each need a system for logging commitments/promises in order to be sure they are kept and don’t get lost among all the other activity.

None of us will have exactly the same system for keeping our commitments/promises, and that’s okay – there is room for preferences here.

Still, one platform doesn’t seem to quite capture all the different places we make commitments/promises on a daily basis.

So here are some guidelines to make sure we are making the most of the platforms that we use in order to keep our commitments/promises top of mind and handled on deadline.

Types: We make promises in several places and to several people all the time.

For instance, we use FuseDesk, Slack, AppointmentCore, Google Calendar, Phone Calls, GoToMeeting/Webinar, UberConference, CrankWheel, and other software services to coordinate and communicate with each other and our customers.

Instructions:

1. If you make a commitment/promise to someone, put a date on it. (It doesn’t exist until there is a deadline.)
2. Place the commitment/promise in the system that makes sense.
3. Set a reminder ahead of the due date. (I like to be redundant; Calendar, Phone, Slack reminders.)
4. Communicate before the due date if you are going to miss the deadline (as soon as possible).
5. Recommit to a new date/deadline.

You are expected to Own the Moment (See Execution – Core Values); but if you miss an accountability, own up to it.

You are considered to have missed an accountability if you break a promise or commitment.

It happens to all of us!

When it does, it’s important that we acknowledge it, figure out what went wrong, how to keep it from happening again, and then re-commit.

If your supervisor notices that you missed an accountability, they will inform you in a few different ways depending on the circumstances:

1. If it can be fixed/corrected, they will bring it up immediately so that you can make the correction and learn.
2. If it can’t be fixed/corrected, but it’s something that you’re likely to run into again soon, they will bring it up at the earliest convenient time