--- title: Virtual Accountability description: Personal accountability is an internal force that drives behavior. Your agents and advisors can choose to hold themselves accountable. image: https://hello.fsednet.com/hubfs/AdobeStock_133793650.jpeg --- [![FSEDNet](https://info.hoopis.com/hubfs/FSEDNet_June2018_v2/Images/logo-sized1.png) ](https://hello.fsednet.com) - Who We Are - [![Schedule Demo](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4570472/162dd7e4-98c0-4297-85d6-465bc5e71a26.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4570472/162dd7e4-98c0-4297-85d6-465bc5e71a26) - [Sign Us Up](https://hello.fsednet.com/sign-us-up) CLOSE X # Virtual Accountability # Virtual Accountability Posted by [Richard "Dick" Cleary](https://info.hoopis.com/blog/author/richard-dick-cleary) on Oct 29, 2020 7:15:18 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![AdobeStock_133793650](https://hello.fsednet.com/hubfs/AdobeStock_133793650.jpeg) **What is an Accountability Culture?** [In our recent whitepaper on virtual accountability](https://info.hoopis.com/virtual-accountability-1), we defined personal accountability as "delivering on a commitment and accepting responsibility for the outcome." Personal accountability is an internal force that drives behavior. Your agents and advisors can choose to hold themselves accountable. At best, you can impose consequences; you can't compel them to feel personally accountable. However, what you can do as a leader is create a culture that supports and nurtures accountability by applying what we call the three E's: Expectations, Environment, and Encouragement. In their book, How Did That Happen? Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way, the authors define an accountability culture as: "a place where people think and act, on a daily basis, in the manner necessary to develop successful solutions, find answers, overcome obstacles, triumph over any trouble that might come along and deliver results. People in a culture of accountability follow through to make sure they do what they say they will do, commit themselves to get to the truth, no matter what, and feel free to say what needs to be said."1 Clarifying expectations, creating an environment that recognizes and reinforces accountability, and providing encouragement and support are the steps to building the kind of culture the authors describe. In this post, we take a more in-depth look at clarifying and communicating expectations for a remote workforce. **Building Trust through Expectations** At its core, accountability is about trust. You trust that your agents, advisors, and staff will perform the required activities to achieve results. Your agents, advisors, and staff trust that you will provide the leadership, resources, and guidance they need to succeed. In his best-selling book, The Speed of Trust, author Stephen M.R. Covey identifies clarifying expectations as one of the critical behaviors for building trust. To build trust through expectations, Covey says: "Create a shared vision and agreement about what is to be done upfront. If you don't do this upfront, you will have trust issues later. Check for clarity. Disclose and reveal expectations. Discuss them. Validate them. Renegotiate them if needed and possible. Don't violate expectations. Don't assume that expectations are clear or shared."2 **Remote-Work Expectations** For leaders in financial services, the kind of rigor Covey describes in setting and communicating expectations is common when discussing productivity and performance. Have you also established expectations regarding remote work? Remote-work expectations to consider include: **Availability**. Do you expect members of your team to be available during core work hours? People are juggling additional responsibilities during the pandemic. They may be managing homeschooling for their children as well as managing their practices. If you have expectations about their availability while working from home, be sure to communicate these and work with our team members to address challenges. **Response Time**. Are there standards regarding responding to messages from clients and other team members? Even if you decide not to establish specific criteria for response times, it's a good idea to give guidelines to your team. Agreeing, for example, that team members include in voicemail or email messages when a request is urgent or has a deadline. **Meetings**. Is attendance at meetings required? Participation in meetings that were optional when everyone was working in the office might now be necessary. If your expectations have changed, be sure to communicate this to all team members. The same applies to your expectations about participation in meetings. Do you expect each team member to report out? Are there specific agenda items to be addressed? **Communications**. How frequently will you plan to check in on your team? When do you expect them to check in with you? Frequent and consistent communication is especially important for newer agents and advisors who may feel uncomfortable asking for help. Leaders in our onboarding study have significantly increased their contacts with new agents and advisors to keep them on track and to bolster their sense of belonging. **Technology**. What level of expertise does your team have in using videoconferencing, collaboration, or messaging technology, and what are your expectations regarding learning these tools? Do you expect team members to have a contingency plan in place should they run into technical issues? Even a request as simple as, "I expect everyone to turn on their video during our all-team virtual meeting" helps to establish clear expectations regarding remote work. **Work-From-Home Policies**. These policies typically cover items such as sick time and vacation time while working from home and can be especially useful in clarifying expectations for staff. Other topics often covered are expectations regarding the work environment and information security. Your company's human resources team can help you establish a policy if you don't already have one. **Accountability Starts in the Recruiting Process** Screening candidates for strong remote-work skills such as self motivation ([see our Virtual Recruiting and Selection white paper](https://info.hoopis.com/virtual-recruiting-and-selection-1)) is the first step in creating an accountability culture. Remote work is not for everyone. The candidates you select should be just as motivated working from home as they would be in the office. Notice that Covey says to "create an agreement about what is to be done upfront." Be sure to discuss remote work expectations with candidates during the recruiting and selection process just as you do activity and productivity expectations. **Practice Accountability** Practicing accountability is another of the behaviors that Covey identifies for building trust. He writes: "There are two key dimensions to this Practice Accountability. The first is to hold yourself accountable; the second is to hold others accountable. Leaders who generate trust do both… When people—particularly leaders—hold themselves accountable, it encourages others to do the same… It also creates an environment of openness and trust." Trust is a two-way street. Your team is trusting you to hold yourself accountable for providing the encouragement, resources, and support they need to succeed and for creating an environment that encourages and appreciates personal accountability. **How are Field Leaders Adapting Their Processes for Virtual Accountability?** To learn more about the virtual accountability strategies that agency and firm leaders are using with their remote work teams, download our Virtual Accountability research whitepaper.   1 Connors, R., & Smith, T. (2011). How Did That Happen?: Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way (Reprint ed.). Portfolio Trade. 2 Covey, S. M., Covey, S. R., & Merrill, R. R. (2008). The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything (Reprint ed.). Franklin Covey. 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Learn More CLOSE X # What People Are Saying “FSEdNet is a game-changing strategy to help with the education of new advisors in the business.  The key to any training is to focus on being brilliant on the basics.  Dick Cleary and his team have created a turnkey educational program that helps leadership teams implement an easy to deliver training system for the fundamentals of success.”      **J. Christopher Noonan, CLU, ChFC Regional President & Divisional Executive VP, Equitable-Advisors LLC** "FSEdNet's delivery process and information will help your advisors become more confident in front of clients." ###### Garry Kinder, CLU, ChFC, CSA, Kinder Brothers International “NAIFA is excited to partner with FSEdNet to create the NAIFA Learning Center. We value the breadth and depth of educational content relevant for all practice specialties and the ease of access on multiple devices to the online video content. 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Godsman - CEO, GAMA International" "LIMRA research has found that young advisors integrate technology into all aspects of their practice. FSEdNet provides basic "blocking and tackle" training in an innovative and contemporary way, which resonates with today's financial professionals. Not just for agents and advisors, it's an invaluable part of my onboarding of new LIMRA research professionals - FSEdNet really delivers." ###### – Patrick Leary, LIMRA Corporate Vice President - Research #### "It's Time To Turn Potential Into Reality" "The Financial Services Educational Network, from the genius of Dick Cleary, is something this industry has needed for a long time. It is for many advisors, the missing piece. FSEdNet provides the educational background needed, in a myriad of topics, to give advisors the confidence to engage in meaningful financial discussions." **Harry P. Hoopis, CEO, Hoopis Performance Network, Hall of Fame** “FSEdNet is a game-changing strategy to help with the education of new advisors in the business.  The key to any training is to focus on being brilliant on the basics.  Dick Cleary and his team have created a turnkey educational program that helps leadership teams implement an easy to deliver training system for the fundamentals of success.”      **Mark Rooney, CFP, ChFC, CLU Equitable-Advisors, LLC, Hall of Fame Recipient** “FSEdNet has allowed us to focus on what we do best: find, recruit, select and train the future of our industry.  It provides excellent education, so our leadership team can do what they do best and that is joint work with our newest advisors.  I would strongly encourage any firm to embrace this as it will impact productivity.” **Ed Deutschlander, CLU, CLF, CEO, North Star Resource Group** "Bring back the basic training our agents need is the passion and commitment that Dick has made to the industry. As a long-standing professional in our business, he is well positioned to deliver the right product at the right time. FSEdNet is a perfect solution to the training needs of today." ###### **– Jim Kerley, Chief Membership Officer, LIMRA and LOMA** "I have been in the industry many years. FSEdNet is one of the most comprehensive educational tools to help new reps get off to a successful start and for developing reps to build and grow their business in years 2, 3, 4 and after. The ability to have this information at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere, on any device, 24/7 is truly a must-have for today's financial professional.” **Fred Walker, VP of Professional Development, Transamerica Agency Network** “At the Great Basin Agency of American National, we use FSEdNet faithfully. We find the product they have, and the support of Dick Cleary and his team is amazing, this is one of the best training tools we have or have ever had. The sales training and education are for agents and staff at all levels of their careers." **Ken Gallacher, CLU, ChFC, FSS, LUTCF, LACP and Thresa (Terry) Cochran, CLU, ChFC, CLF, FSS, LACP - General Agent, American National** "A revolutionary strategy to help train and develop your producers, regardless of experience. To make an impact, it must be simple to understand and use, and that is exactly what FSEdNet does. This turn-key educational platform will add true value to your value proposition, and will separate you from the competition." **Dan LaBert, CEO, NAILBA - National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies.** "Opening Up the library of videos offered on FSEdNet for our agents provides an immediate resource that supports the new agent experience after initial training and adds to that knowledge base in all areas. Not only do the new agents benefit, but veteran agents can add to or be reminded of information that helps them focus on improving results." **Mike Catania, Ph.D., Director of Learning Management Field Development, Bankers Life and Casualty Company** “Having been in the industry over 30 years, I can honestly say that FSEdNet is a game changer for improving retention, growing rep productivity and developing a highly trained sales force.  I was exposed to Dick Cleary and FSEdNet in another life prior to being with AAA Life and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to introduce an entirely new field force to this awesome tool!  We have used it as the foundation to build our training program.  I would highly recommend FSEdNet to anyone!” - **Allen Jackson LUTCF, FSCP, Vice president of Agent Distribution, AAA Life Insurance Company** “FSEdNet has been the game changer we needed for our General Agents. 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