17 Mentor Module 1: Accountability

Welcome to the Mentor Training modules. In this module, we will be discussing the act of creating accountability.

We will begin with the definition of accountability. It is a commonly used term in team settings but not many understand the universal definition of it. Accountability is the condition that you are held responsible to the task that is given to you. In group work, accountability is crucial as it creates an implicit understanding that group members can be tied to their tasks.

Accountability seems like an implicit topic, so why does it matter and why are we discussing it? Well, it can be the backbone to many aspects of team dynamics. It can improve team dynamics/performance as building a mutual understanding with your team that you are responsible and reliable can lead to an overall well-done project. Along the same lines, it helps your teammates trust you as an individual. If you can consistently contribute to the team by completing high quality work for tasks you are accountable for, the team will have an easier time trusting you and your capabilities. Finally, it allows for learning. By being held accountable for specific tasks, it is your responsibility to be able to complete it, even if that means learning a new topic or skill. Everyday that provides a chance to learn something new is a great day!

Now that we have navigated through what accountability is and why it matters, the next step is to discuss how we can increase accountability within groups. First of all, if you make a mistake as a mentor, whether it is a communication error or a feedback-based error, make sure you own up to it! Clear channels of communications between you and your group will ensure their efforts are directed towards completing accurate deliverables. Next, involve students in goal setting. By accounting for their schedules and responsibilities while setting goals, the group as a whole will be more successful as they can trust that individuals assigned to a specific goal have the resources to complete the task. Furthermore, by setting clear expectations, you will be removing any ambiguity that may arise from the task they are assigned. By providing clear instructions and resources and ensuring your group understands their task, they will be inclined to complete the task to a higher quality than if they did not understand it. Moving forward, providing beneficial feedback on deliverables or when the group needs help can increase accountability in the same way. If the group understands the direction of their project and the goals they must achieve, you as a mentor can gain trust that they will complete the work they are accountable for as they know what they are doing. Last, but definitely not least, it is really important to be able to continuously have communications with your groups to maintain the built accountability and that will be by running successful meetings.

As a mentor, you will be part of a lot of meetings. Being able to run a successful meeting is crucial, especially in an online setting when communication is a bit more difficult. To begin, make the purpose of your meeting clear. When the group knows the purpose of the meeting, they will tend to prepare for the conversation. You can do this by explicitly mentioning the purpose as well as creating and sharing an agenda. By providing talking points prior to the meeting, the students may prepare any questions or concerns they may have along the lines of the talking points. Next, have an assigned note taker. It is important to record what happens in the meetings as a lot of information can be portrayed at once and having a written recap will ensure nothing gets lost in-between the meeting and the group completing their task. Next, you want to delegate tasks to group members, if they haven’t done so already. Each task assigned should be attached to an individual and a deadline. When the task is mentioned, call out the person it is meant for and then confirm the deadline with them. Any further discussions can be done after the meeting. These tasks can be brought up as “action items” which can directly be translated to deliverables, whether they are the final deliverable they are working on, or for a progress check-in. These action items can be aligned to SMART goals, which we will discuss now.

SMART goals will fit alongside action items as they will ensure accountability per action item and group member. A SMART goal is specific, measurable, assignable, relevant, and timely. It is specific to their upcoming deliverable, measurable in the sense that the progress can be tracked, assignable in the sense that it can be delegated to a group member (or two) and they can be held accountable to completing the goal, relevant to the upcoming deliverable, and timely so it agrees to the timeline set in place for the deliverable.

These goals will help you track your groups success in real time and can be used as accountability tools, not only between group members but between the group and you as the mentor. It is your job to help the group succeed and by setting SMART goals within action items, you are setting the group up for success for the major deliverables. Finally, these goals can easily be implanted on Trello so it is easy for students to update their progress and it is easy for you to track how well they are doing. Trello is a project management tool where you can create categories for a project, individual, or assignment and then add cards under each category with an action item to complete. You can assign a person to the card, add any notes they may need, set deadlines and overall it will establish expectations and provide resources all in one place. Any project management tool can be used with SMART goals and they help in successfully tracking project completion.

Now that you have successfully read through our module on accountability, it is time to put these ideas into action! Either as a group with your organization or on your own, ask yourself, “How have I made sure to hold myself accountable to my weaknesses? How does holding myself accountable effect my performance in these areas?”