Accountability Groups

Accountability: anything or anyone that helps you gain mental leverage to achieve the results you desire.

—The Accountability Stop

Group accountability is like having multiple accountability buddies. Project groups, study groups, writing groups, mastermind groups, even book clubs can all create accountability for us to work on our projects or habits. When the dynamic between the participants is right, we’re encouraged not only to do our work, but to bring our A-game. The results, whether we’re working separately or we’re creating one project, can be remarkable.

Team Building

I must admit that I can only think of a couple of times when I was part of a great accountability group. It was lightning in a bottle. My suggestions on this topic are from my not-so-great track record and what I’ve learned not to do. Here are a couple of short summaries I found on what to do to encourage stellar teamwork:

Five Dysfunctions of a Team (7:58 Video book summary from The Productivity Game)

Google Project Aristotle Summary (2:23 Video discussion by Charles Duhigg from Insider Tech)

Both of these videos touch on equitable communication within the team — everyone talks an equal amount of time. Everyone listens when others are talking. This creates “emotional safety,” where group members can share their challenges with others.

Who

A published author ran a writing group that I joined for a few sessions years ago. We were to write short stories and provide feedback on each other’s work. I felt a strong sense of accountability to do both of these things as well as I could. Others in the group did not. That surprised me. I felt like it was a good group to be part of, but I felt a lopsided-ness because I fully participated while others did not.

A danger of accountability groups is that we, or others, can hide in the background. If one or two people are willing to participate and hog the spotlight, then we don’t have to. That’s a huge disservice to the group. Alternatively, if we contribute a lot to the group but don’t listen to and encourage others, we may become the one hogging the spotlight.

Who are accountability groups good for?

• People who thrive on interacting and socializing.
• People who appreciate input from others on their goal or habit.
• People who struggle to find mental leverage to complete projects on their own.

Who are accountability groups NOT good for?

• People who have difficulty showing interest in others’ goals.
• People who struggle to give or receive constructive criticism.
• People who prefer to not speak up in a group and to let others take a bigger role.

What

I started my own online accountability meeting for a social network I joined. The meeting was open to anyone on the network. It was only partially successful in encouraging accountability. I felt like we allowed for emotional safety in the group and that participants were active listeners. I tried to be an example of what I intended, bringing a list of my four or five goals for the week and reviewing my goals from the previous week. Others were as likely to talk about their brother’s car problems as they were to talk about their goals and progress. I created the group because I wanted accountability. It worked for that purpose. It did not work as a way for others to learn or practice accountability.

Accountability groups are often good for people with similar goals and timeframes: 

• Entrepreneurs in mastermind groups trying to make a profit and looking at quarterly earnings.
• Book clubs reading the same book for discussion.
• Class group projects.
• Day-job work projects.

What are accountability groups NOT good for?

• Divergent goals and timeframes. Unless you create and adhere to a good meeting structure, your discussions can wander all over the place.
• Highly personal goals that require emotional support to share. In that case, we might look for group therapy rather than group accountability. If even one of the accountability group members isn’t in a supportive frame of mind, it can ruin the dynamic.

Begin Again

If I were to start another accountability group, I would approach it differently. I would ask people what their goals are and what kind of accountability they’re looking for. I would have a set of meeting ground rules similar to the “meeting charter” mentioned in Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I would also consider the personal compatibility ideas I discussed when we talked about accountability buddies.

Many of us have experienced that “lightning in a bottle” feeling in a group that has great working chemistry. It is not easy to create and more often happens by chance. So when you find one, be sure to appreciate it!

What’s Your Account?

Have you been part of an accountability group that really worked well? Did it have ingredients that you would recommend?