Providing feedback & coachingSetting clear expectations

Practical questions to drive accountability and monitor progress effectively

5 minutes

Accountability is one of the cornerstones of successful teamwork and leadership. It involves clearly understanding expectations, consistent communication, tracking progress and addressing challenges to ensure expected outcomes are achieved. The key to fostering accountability lies in asking the right questions. These questions not only track progress but also reinforce commitment and identify obstacles that could hinder success.

Effective accountability questions serve many purposes: they clarify expectations, provide insight into the progress of tasks, offer support, and encourage reflection on the processes and outcomes. They aim to empower your team rather than micro-manage your team. When team members anticipate these questions in their regular catchups, they are more likely to stay on top of their responsibilities and proactively address potential issues.

Questions to Monitor Progress

What were your main achievements since our last check-in? / How have you tracked against your goals from last week?

This type of question helps individuals to reflect on and articulate their accomplishments, providing a clear sense of progress and an opportunity to celebrate wins.

What result or outcome are you looking for?

Clarifying the end goal ensures that both the individual and the team are aligned on the expected outcome. It provides the opportunity to provide further clarification of what ‘good’ looks like.

What does success look like to you?

This question helps define personal benchmarks for success and ensures that both the individual and the team are aligned on the expected outcome.

What strategies have you implemented to accomplish this goal?

Prompting discussion about the methods and plans being used allows for understanding of their planned approach and the opportunity to coach, or course correct if necessary.

What alternatives are there?

Opening the floor for creative thinking and problem-solving helps ensure that the individual is prepared with contingency plans.

What obstacles do you anticipate may get in the way?

This question proactively identifies potential barriers, enabling early intervention and the development of strategies to overcome them.

Based on what you have shared, how do you plan to approach this challenge/ goal?

Encourages the individual to articulate their action plan, which can then be reviewed for feasibility and alignment with expectations. It also helps clarify their and your understanding of the challenge or goal.

What resources or tools do you need to succeed?

Proactively offering support can empower ownership of next steps, preventing delays and promoting a culture of collaboration.

What are you committed to doing as your next steps?

This question secures commitment to specific actions, reinforcing the individual's responsibility for moving forward towards the desired outcome.

How will you know that you are making progress towards your goal?

By ensuring that there are measurable milestones or indicators of progress, you can provide opportunities for coaching and feedback as well as reinforce the importance of accountability in achieving goals.

Asking the right questions is a dynamic process that adapts to the context of the work and the needs of the team. By consistently engaging with your team through these queries, you can build a culture of accountability, support, and continuous improvement. Accountability isn’t just about tracking progress—it’s about creating a dialogue that sets you and your team up for success, drives better performance, empowers ownership of outcomes, and cultivates a more cohesive team.

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