#SchoolPR Insights Blog

Accountability can sound like a scary word. Many believe the word means getting called out for something they were supposed to do (but didn’t). Accountability isn’t a punishment—it’s a tool that mobilizes colleagues to support each other and troubleshoot problems that arise in the pursuit of a goal.

Think of the communication goals you plan to achieve in the coming school year. Putting an accountability system in place will help you and the team achieve those goals more efficiently and within your targeted timeframe. A great way to hold colleagues accountable is by setting up monthly communication plan reviews. More details on that below!

Accountability is key for achieving goals

In a perfect world, your team would create a plan, and everyone would stick to it. You establish a goal for school communications, and each team member has their role in achieving it. If colleagues didn’t need to be held accountable, your team would meet initially to talk about the plan, then everything would fall into place on its own.

The reality is, we don’t live in a perfect world. People can lose sight of their goals, and without a friendly reminder from colleagues, it can be difficult to get back on track. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the demands of the present moment and allow communication plans to take a back seat. That’s why accountability exists—not to scold those who fall short of expectations, but to support one another in the pursuit of a common goal.

So, what does accountability look like? Formulate a communication plan, then review it on a regular basis. Touch base with the team to see how the plan is unfolding, and to determine if any team members have run into obstacles. Pitch ideas that can help colleagues overcome those obstacles, and adjust the communication plan as necessary. In this way, accountability can be used as a tool to keep the momentum rolling and bring your team closer to the desired outcome.

Why schedule monthly communication plan reviews?

Accountability is essential for reaching those communication goals. One way to keep team members accountable is by scheduling recurring communication plan reviews. For long-term goals, these reviews would take place on a monthly basis. During a plan review, your team would state the goal being discussed, then go over the steps each person needs to take in order to reach that goal. Team members would report their progress, so you can assess whether they’re hitting the necessary milestones.

There are many benefits to scheduling communication plan reviews. For instance, they give your team the space to brainstorm solutions for any problems that might come up. Accountability doesn’t exist to ensure everyone does what they say they’re going to do. Rather, accountability allows everyone to work together as a team to keep the plan moving forward. You’re all working towards the same goal, so problem solving should be a team effort.

Monthly communication plan reviews can also keep everyone focused on the goal. The saying “out of sight, out of mind” very much applies to the process of carrying out long-term plans. Regular meetings keep the plan front of mind, and as a result, the end goal remains in everyone’s line of sight. By scheduling monthly reviews, you remind colleagues why they created this plan in the first place—to make their vision for the future a reality.

Monthly plan reviews can be a powerful motivator for the team. Knowing they will have to give a progress report every month is an effective way to ensure team members follow through with their assigned responsibilities. Plus, it feels great being congratulated on a job well done when you hit a new milestone!

Key points to cover at the team’s monthly meetings

If monthly reviews are new to you, you might not be familiar with how to lead your team through one. The format of these meetings is fairly straightforward—state the long-term goal, ask team members to report their progress, and troubleshoot any problems they encountered.

Here’s a closer look at the typical format of a monthly plan review:

• State your goal at the beginning: It might seem obvious why you gathered the whole team for a meeting. However, stating the long-term goal you want to achieve establishes the meeting agenda, ensures everyone is on the same page, and keeps your team focused on a single topic.
• Ask everyone to report their progress: As you know, achieving any goal isn’t a one-person job. Every team member plays a role in bringing that goal into reality. Make sure every person enters the meeting with a firm understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Then, have them take turns sharing progress reports, so you can assess whether the team is on track to meet their goal.
• Look at the numbers: In addition to reports, you can track progress towards a goal by looking at key performance indicators (KPI). The KPIs allow you to collect quantitative data, so you know exactly where you stand in relation to your goal. Identify the KPIs at your first initial meeting, then review them at every meeting thereafter.
• Find solutions to obstacles: In the pursuit of a goal, things rarely go exactly as you had planned. Monthly reviews give your team the opportunity to address problems that are getting in the way. From there, you can work together to find a new way forward.

Keep the momentum going after each review

Monthly plan reviews do more than give colleagues a chance to touch base with each other. They also establish what needs to be done in between meetings to stay on the right path. Keep the momentum going month over month with these strategies:

• Create a to-do list: Write down action items that need to be completed before the next monthly plan review. Then, assign those action items to different people. Share this to-do list with the whole team, so everyone understands what their responsibilities are.
• Set up a working document: Organize action items in a document that your colleagues can edit. Once someone finishes a task, they can mark it as complete in the live document. This allows you to track progress in real time. No need to wait until the next monthly review to see how colleagues are performing!
• Establish milestones: Be clear about what should happen between now and the next meeting. It’s best to state your expectations in writing at the end of each plan review, so it doesn’t become one of many other tasks you need to get done later.
• Send a meeting summary: After each review, compile everything that was discussed into a meeting summary. Then, email this summary to all the meeting participants. That way, your team has a reminder of what they talked about, and what to do moving forward.

Reach your goal one review at a time

Goals take several months—sometimes even years—to accomplish. Make sure your team stays on track by scheduling a plan review every month. Not only does this keep everyone accountable, but it also promotes a collaborative spirit among colleagues, especially when someone is struggling to hit a milestone. Reach out to the team now and schedule your first monthly meeting!