Conversation 8: Following Through
Welcome back! In our last post, we talked about embracing our zones of genius. To conclude our 8 Conversations for Shared Leadership series, let’s examine how we follow through and get things done.
Although I love collaboration and building teams to do the work together, I sometimes find it hard to figure out who is responsible for what. It can also be challenging to hold oneself and others accountable when projects are left unfinished.
My partner and I recently had a conversation about how we talk about what gets done around the house.
Now, it’s important to note that he does most of the chores in our household while I manage family budgeting and travel plans. However, even with our pretty decent task delegation, I’ve noticed that sometimes he says, “We are going to do [fill in task],” when he really means just one of us.
If we don’t clarify who specifically is responsible for getting something done, a few things can happen:
I might get stressed out when I realize I was supposed to be doing something… but I’ve dropped the ball
Or my partner might get annoyed when he realizes he needs to finalize something due in two hours
Or maybe the deadline will slip by, and we’ll end up letting people down, paying late fees, or missing great opportunities
Any way you look at it, this lack of clarity about who will do what and how to ensure follow-through usually leads to frustration and disappointment.
Following through means being clear about who’s doing what, how we plan to keep our commitments, what we need to do, and being honest when we’re lost or behind.
The more we communicate about who’s leading a task, where we’re struggling, and how we might need to adjust, the healthier our collective work becomes—and it’s more likely to feel genuinely good for all of us, too.
But remember that creating clear lines of task accountability is not just for hierarchies.
In fact, when we’ve made a commitment to share power, we have to be super clear about who’s doing what, identify who’s responsible for certain outcomes, and regularly check in about where each person’s at in the process.
We claim ownership over our work—not with an individualist mindset, but with the understanding that our contributions ensure the success of the whole team.
So, to me, task accountability means we:
Have a system for task delegation
Do our very best to complete the work for which we are responsible
Ask for help when we need it
Accept responsibility if we make an error that negatively impacts our community
Breakdowns during team projects will happen; however, the response cannot be shutting down, shaming, or punishing team members. Functional co-leadership teams learn how to talk to each other and find solutions together.
This can look like finding someone else to step in or negotiating new deadlines with an external party. It can also look like finishing a project early and using the extra time to help someone who’s overwhelmed.
Prompts for Conversation #8
You can use these prompts to inspire and expand the conversations you’re having within your team environment:
What does task accountability look like to me?
How might I communicate when I need help or guidance?
What can I do when I realize I am behind or I’ve dropped a ball?
I suggest we ask these questions first of ourselves and then share our responses with our co-leaders.
If your team needs help getting clear on roles and lines of communication, check out the Management Center’s Clarifying Responsibilities with MOCHA.
Listen to my conversation with our very own Morgan Mahdavi about follow-through and accountability at Freedom Lifted in Episode 10 of the Shared Power Podcast. You can watch on YouTube here.
The Conversation Doesn’t End Here
We've loved sharing this 8-part journey with you! Now, it's your turn. What resonated? What questions are coming up for you? Join the conversation on LinkedIn: Share your thoughts, reflections, or even your own responses to the prompts using #SharedPower and tag us @FreedomLifted.
New here? Start with Conversation 1: Telling Our Origin Stories.
You can download the infographic of the 8 essential conversations to share with co-leaders.
Be sure to listen to season one of our Shared Power Podcast to learn more about the conversations, why I believe they are key to advancing justice, and ways to apply them to our work and movements.
Learn more about Mia’s facilitation offerings based on the eight conversations.