All About Accountability with Gwen Bortner

In this episode Alison speaks with Gwen Bortner, founder of Everyday Effectiveness, about accountability and how it supports business results. They discuss her background in consulting across different industries and how that experience shaped her approach to helping entrepreneurs and organizations improve effectiveness.

More importantly, they explore how accountability differs from simple task checking. Gwen defines it as an actual conversation that includes reflection and problem solving, rather than just asking whether something was done. They also discuss why accountability can be difficult, including the fact that it often requires uncomfortable questions and honest self-examination.

Alison and Gwen look at accountability in the context of client experience and coaching. They talk about whether business processes are truly serving clients or simply making things easier for the business, and how weekly asynchronous written check-ins can help clients see their progress over time.

Gwen identifies three elements that make accountability work: consistency, focus, and feedback. They cover the value of narrowing attention to one to three priorities, and discuss how changing questions from “why” to “what” can reduce defensiveness and lead to better problem solving. She also notes the importance of reviewing what has gone right, not only what needs to change, so that effective patterns can be repeated.

HIGHLIGHTS:

1:15 Accountability in business

8:01 Client experience through accountability

13:18 When fit matters most

15:46 The three accountability pillars

21:13 Practical accountability tips

connect with Gwen:

website: https://everydayeffectiveness.com

The Business You Really Want: https://www.youtube.com/@EverydayEffectiveness1

SPONSOR:

Cellev8

Discount code: THEALISONK