How to make accountability easy

How often has this happened to you? You delegate a task (I mean problem) to a report and go about your business. Two weeks later, you follow up and . . . they haven’t started working on it yet. You didn’t clarify the timeline or agree how you’d like to be kept informed. D’oh!

A clear accountability loop requires answers to three questions:

1) What will you do?

2) When will you do it?

3) How will I know?

Luckily, there’s one question that addresses all three points at once: 

'What will you do by the next time we meet?'

This primes you for a successful follow-up and increases the likelihood of getting the job done.