Establishing and measuring accountability in life coaching relationships

Accountability and Life Coaching

Setting Up Accountability Factors

Setting up accountability factors is primarily a matter of soliciting information directly from the client for the purpose of establishing the strategic goals of therapy (Whitworth, L., Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, et al., 2007). In that regard, it might be helpful to outline the concept of accountability by contextualizing it simply as a form of awareness or purposeful consciousness on the part of the client with respect to taking note of relevant indicators of progress in therapy. Defining specific accountability factors will necessarily vary from client to client because they will be dictated by the particular reason that the client sought (or was referred for) counseling.

Measuring Accountability

In principle, measuring accountability is mainly a matter of understanding the degree to which the client maintains an awareness of what steps or mechanisms have been laid out for the purpose of achieving the intended benefits of counseling (Whitworth, L., Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, et al., 2007). This element of measurement requires coordination between the concrete expectations of both parties in the relationship.

Moreover, measuring accountability also requires a conceptualization of a schedule or series of steps through which the beneficial results of counseling are expected to be achieved. This element provides the basis of a strategic plan. Finally, measuring accountability is also a matter of establishing a mutual agreement between client and counsellor or coach with respect to how, when, and in what specific manner the client will provide an accounting of progress and/or steps taken to achieve progress. Ultimately, measuring accountability allows the client and counsellor to agree on whether or not the current direction of counseling is achieving its intended goals or whether a change in counseling strategy is required (Whitworth, L., Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, et al., 2007).

Consequences of Accountability Avoidance

In principle, the consequences of avoiding accountability on the part of the client have the distinct potential of completely undermining the potential benefits of counseling. That is because it is accountability that enables the client and counsellor to define the goals of counseling, to establish a strategic plan to achieve those goals, to establish a plan to achieve the benefits of counseling through methods and mechanisms for achieving them, and to assess the long-term effectiveness of that strategy.