Wibout de Klijne, Director of Compliance at Triodos Bank, was one of the first to use Summiteers' new service: Accountability Partner. Professionals who want to achieve a permanent change in behavior in themselves are supported by the Accountability Partner, who helps formulate the learning goal and contacts them every day to stimulate and monitor progress.

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Personal behavioral change is notoriously difficult: how do you get rid of those ingrained habits that prevent you from achieving your ambitions and fruitful cooperation with others? This challenge inspired consulting firm Summiteers to offer the Accountability Partner as a service. As an old acquaintance of Summiteers co-founder Dolf L'Ortye, Wibout de Klijne had the privilege to try out the pilot version of the service.

“I've known Dolf for a long time,” De Klijne begins. “When he wasn't working at Summiteers yet, he did various assignments for me. Since then, we have always stayed in touch. A while back, he recommended the book “What Got You Here Won't Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith. The ideas therein really appealed to me. It offers a fun way to look at people's behavior.”

‍Things you should stop doing

“The book is closely related to the idea behind the Accountability Partner,” says De Klijne. “Leadership coach Goldsmith explains that the traits that brought you to where you are today can actually prevent you from taking the next step. He states that we are often successful despite certain properties and not of because of those properties. It follows that it is better to make a list of things that you shouldn't do anymore, instead of the well-known list of things you want to start doing.”

When Summiteers organized a session about the book's ideas, participants were offered the opportunity to complete an abbreviated pilot version of the Accountability Partner Program.

“We were allowed to choose what we wanted to work on and would then be triggered by one of the Summiteers for 30 days,” says De Klijne. “I wanted to participate to give my personal development a new boost. Throughout my career, I've done countless self-study tests, with stacks of reports. What really appealed to me about the Accountability Partner process was the concrete focus on action — the daily repetition and focus on actual behavioral change.”‍

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‍The effect of your behavior on others

The process starts with formulating a personal development goal. “I wanted to achieve a result through a change in behavior in a more constructive way and in a good atmosphere. One of Goldsmith's most important lessons is that people's behavior has an enormous influence on whether they achieve a result or not. The stereotypical successful manager is often unaware of the effect his or her behavior has on others. I focused my learning goal on unlearning the habit of “adding too much value”, which I greatly recognized in the book.”

“I never expected such a simple approach — calling over and over again — to have such an influence on my behavior.”

De Klijne did the refining of this development goal and thinking about concrete behaviors together with Arjen Verwer by Summiteers. “He was my Accountability Partner. Arjen asked critical questions to focus on my learning goal. Through these questions, I already gained more insight into what I actually wanted to achieve myself. This was immediately an important step in the process.”‍

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Daily check-in

After that, the actual realization of the formulated goal begins. In addition, the Accountability Partner contacts you every day to discuss how things are doing. “I got the call for 30 days with the 'check question': did you do your utmost to not add too much value today?”

According to De Klijne, the Accountability Partner immediately showed its value. “I kept thinking, 'Oh crap, Arjen is going to call tonight. I really must have done something.'' This helps you to be continuously aware of your learning goal during these 30 days.”

The Accountability Partner also monitors the content of progress towards the learning goal. “We talked together about what my effect was on others during conversations. As a result, I became more aware of the influence of my behavior on others. In a group setting, I make sure I only ask in-depth questions and don't come up with my own anecdotes.”

While De Klijne was very happy to see a clear change in his behavior right away, he still has to be aware not to fall into old habits. “Of course, it remains interesting whether I will continue this in the long term. If you call me in two years, I hope to be able to indicate that my behavioral change has been permanent and I have not fallen back into my old behavior. So far, this is going well!”

“What really appealed to me about the Accountability Partner process was the concrete focus on action.”

At first glance, the role of the Accountability Partner may seem like that of a coach, but De Klijne emphasizes that it is more someone who takes you by the hand during a journey of discovery.

“A coach is more about the 'why'. Prior to the start of the behavioral change process, he will do a deeper analysis and test whether this is really the learning goal you want to work on. The Accountability Partner method focuses very specifically on one predefined behavioral characteristic and ensures that you gain insights accordingly. What makes it so successful is the repetition, in-depth questions and being able to spar with a person who knows what goal you're working towards.”

Of course, there are some similarities with a coach, acknowledges De Klijne. “There is overlap in the fact that both assume that someone comes to their own insights by asking questions.”‍

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Call again and again

As important as this asking questions is, De Klijne is particularly amazed at the effectiveness of the daily check-in. “I never expected such a simple approach — calling over and over again — to have such an influence on my behavior. I was going to anticipate it, so of course I had to be able to say something. At one point, I also took my own notes when there was a day when we didn't call. The Accountability Partner really keeps you on track, which is crucial in unlearning ingrained — and therefore often unconscious — behavior.”