Jonathan Raymond describes his creation, The Accountability Dial, as a tool.
Whether I’m working in the garage, cooking in the kitchen, or leading a team, I like to have the right tools. If you feel the same way, you’ll want to invest 30 minutes of your precious time to watch this video (which is also included at the end of this post) and learn how to use the Accountability Dial.
I promise this will be a half hour that will make you a kinder and more confident leader. And, of course, that is the reason you’re reading this blog.
I’m going to warn you now though. I suggest you go ahead and schedule a full hour. I say that because when I got to the end of this video, something happened that made me go back and listen to it a second time.
It wasn’t only because the video was packed with wisdom that made me want to hear again. That’s true, but the reason I felt compelled to go through it a second time was what it told me about myself.
I suspect you may have the same experience.
Why did I watch this video twice?
Why did I feel compelled to watch this video a second time?
To be honest, it’s more than a little embarrassing and not something I’m proud to admit. And, it’s personal.
So I’m going to wait to the end of this post to share my story. After all, you’re not reading this post to learn about me. You’re here to become a better leader.
The Accountability Dial will do just that. So let me reintroduce you to this valuable tool and its creator.
Reintroducing Jonathan Raymond and the Accountability Dial
I say reintroducing because the first introduction of Jonathan and the Accountability Dial tool came in my post Why Accountability Is Hard And How to Make It Easier. There I provided links to several other resources from him and his team along with the video I’ll talk more about here.
Jonathan is the founder and CEO of Refound and the author of the book, Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting For [affiliate link]. It’s a great read or a great listen if you prefer audio books. I have both and consider them valuable resources to make me a more kind and confident leader.
You can learn more about The Accountability Dial on the Refound website. The site is packed with useful resources to equip you to lead with kindness and confidence.
You can also download a free pdf guide describing the Accountability Dial from the Refound website.
Those resources are great, but for me, there is something about hearing a person’s voice that really drives a message home for me. That’s why I like podcasts and audio books read by the author. And, that’s why I recommend you invest 30 minutes to watch this video.
How to use The Accountability Dial according to its creator
Why invest 30 minutes of your life in this video?
I’m committed to training leaders to lead with kindness and confidence. You’re reading this blog so I know you are as well.
Part of my goal in my writing is to point you to leaders who think like we do. Jonathan Raymond is one of those leaders.
I can tell by the words he uses.
Jonathan Raymond speaks our language: the language of kindness, compassion, and confidence.
A familiar language
Let me ask you this.
When you hear an experienced coach and author using words and phrases you would use, do you get interested?
I certainly do.
Here are a few examples I heard in Jonathan Raymond’s video.
- People-first culture without lowering your standards
- Leading through connection, compassion, and caring
- Genuine curiosity and asking good questions
- Accountability to support, not to shame or judge
- Curiosity, not assuming you know a person’s motives
- Relationship building through multiple conversations over time
- Seeing patterns and helping others see them on their own
- Simultaneous growth for individuals and organizations
- Applying The Accountability Dial at all levels of an organization
- Investing in team members’ growth
Quotes to add to our leadership vocabulary
As I watched the video, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. I let out more than a few Yes’s and maybe even an “Amen” or two.
I kept thinking that the words Jonathan Raymond said captured what I was thinking and I’m sure they will become a part of my leadership vocabulary from now on.
This is a partial list of quotes I found meaningful. I also included the location in the video so you can hear the words in context.
Don’t lower your standards. (0:40)
What people are really hungry for … is an environment that is as challenging as it is fun. (1:20)
We’ve lost the art of asking great questions. (3:15)
Great accountability is not punitive. (4:40)
Accountability as a gift, as the tool for growth for individuals and for organizations simultaneously. (4:45)
Feedback that gives a solution isn’t feedback – it’s micromanagement. (6:00)
Micromanagement is what undermines all the otherwise great “people things” that we’re doing. (11:00)
When we are always available – giving answers and advice freely – we disempower the people around us by sucking the personal growth oxygen out of the room. Our intentions are irrelevant, impact is what matters. (11:30)
I love these quotes, and I also love these topics Jonathan Raymond teaches in his video.
With The Accountability Dial, timing is everything (16:00)
Accountability must be done in small acts in time. It takes patience, but not too much patience (which can also be more accurately described as procrastination or cowardice).
The Accountability Dial was created to solve two problems related to timing.
Feedback that is too intense, too early
Boundaries that are too soft, too late
Timing makes all the difference.
People don’t really want direct feedback. They want honesty with a caring attitude (14:00)
Despite what we say, we don’t really want honest feedback.
We, and all people, actually want honesty delivered from someone who cares about us personally.
The reality is direct feedback is not what people need.
Direct feedback has the implicit assumption that the giver of the feedback has the answer. And, leaders most often don’t have the answer.
Instead, we need to be curious and ask questions to learn with an attitude of personal care.
The Accountability Dial steps
As Jonathan Raymond explains in the video, The Accountability Dial is intentionally designed with five steps. He walks through each of these in more detail, but I’ve included a summary of the steps and his comments here.
The Mention (21:00)
The Mention – What is it?
- Takes no more than five seconds
- A short question about something you’ve observed (or have a hunch about) as soon as you observe it
- There’s no harm in mentioning something
- Can be positive or negative
- Let’s people know you see them and what they are doing
The Mention – Examples
- “I noticed a few typos in that blog post draft. Did you catch those?”
- “Hey, great email you sent to the customer just now.”
- “That seems like something you could approve on your own, no?”
- “You seemed annoyed at this morning’s stand up. Everything okay?”
The Invitation (23:20)
The Invitation – What is it?
- Your attempt to help your colleague make the connection between isolated events
- Gives a pattern they can get traction on
- Trains them to learn the skill of seeing patterns in other areas
- Might require you to be transparent and vulnerable
- Gets people thinking about following through on the details
- Communicates that the little things matter in your organization
The Invitation – Examples
- “I saw a few typos in the memo to the sales team as well. I’m getting worried, can you stop by and let me know how you’re going to get on top of this?”
- “You’ve been on a roll lately with new customer outreach – would love to learn more about your approach.”
- “I didn’t hear anything further about that flurry of support tickets. It left me wondering what our process is there …”
The Conversation, The Boundary, and The Limit
The Conversation (26:45)
- Your chance to help this person shift their focus away from their intentions and excuses so they realize the objective, observable impacts of their behavior.
- Helps them recognize how they are affecting other people
- Done through questions not statements
- Includes multiple conversations over time
The Boundary and The Limit (28:30)
- Happens after the person has agreed to change
- Are still not punitive
- The framing that, as human beings, we all need to either move through meaningful changes or decide we’re not up for the challenge
- It will likely be uncomfortable (for you and them)
- Sets clear expectations to help the person be successful
So, why did I watch this video twice?
That’s my summary of The Accountability Tool video. But I told you in the introduction that I would tell you why I felt compelled to watch this video a second time.
As I said, it’s embarrassing and personal. If you prefer to skip this section, I don’t mind. (Maybe I even prefer you do if I’m being honest.)
But, it’s important to me to share my experience to help others avoid the mistakes I’ve made and to realize no one (especially me) is perfect. We are all works in progress.
The transformation of the tool as it transformed me
I definitely agree with Jonathan Raymond’s description of the Accountability Dial as a tool.
The first time I watched the video, the tool seemed like a piece of sandpaper to me. Fine grit sandpaper. Polishing me up but not digging too deep because I was already in pretty good shape.
However, I was only viewing the message of the video through my work lens.
Over the years, I’ve done a lot of these things as he suggests. I was feeling pretty good about myself and my ability to lead with kindness and confidence in my job.
But, as my brain processed the message of the video, I had an uncomfortable realization. I needed to view the video through my home lens.
So I watched it again.
When I thought about the Accountability Dial as a father and a husband, the grit of the sandpaper became more coarse. The message of the video was taking off more material that needed to be removed from me. And, it was uncomfortable.
It didn’t stop there though. The Accountability Dial and Jonathan Raymond’s powerful message soon became more like a chisel and hammer chipping away big chunks of who I am. And, it was painful.
My painful realization
The pain came when I realized that so many of the things I’ve done fairly well in my career, the things that helped me build my teammates up and empower them weren’t present in every area of my life.
Actions that helped my teammates find their voice and speak freely and flourish while breathing the “personal growth oxygen”, Jonathan Raymond describes were relatively common with my teams at work.
At home, however, they were far less common. Sadly, I have been much more of a micro-manager in that environment.
Am I a horrible husband and father? Not all. I am confident my family would agree.
But has this quote described me in the non-work areas of my life far more than I want to admit?
The honest truth is yes.
When we are always available – giving answers and advice freely – we disempower the people around us by sucking the personal growth oxygen out of the room. Our intentions are irrelevant, impact is what matters.
So, where does this painful realization leave me?
Our opportunity
It leaves me in exactly the same place you are if you also realize you have room to improve as a leader in your professional or your personal life.
We know we need to improve and we are now equipped to make changes.
We have a tool, The Accountability Dial, to help us make improvements both in ourselves and in our organizations.
Thank you, Jonathan Raymond, for what you have done for me, for the readers of this post, and for those we will lead with kindness and confidence in the future.
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.
Greg
Discussion Questions
- Which step of The Accountability Dial do you find easiest to use?
- Which step do you consider to be the most challenging?
