Accountability Partners – A Secret Weapon for Achieving Your Goals

Do you find yourself having the best of intentions to get things done (e.g. – cold call, exercise, meditate, eat healthy, lose weight) and simply not finding the inner commitment to follow through?

It would be great if we never encountered obstacles in the way of us achieving our goals, but that’s not typically how life works. It would be great if we had discipline in unlimited amounts, but that’s not always the case either. You need help.

GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER!! (or as they say on South Park, an accountabilibuddy)

Here’s the great news…you don’t need to pay a coach like me to hold you accountable. Interestingly, many of my coaching clients tell me that me holding them accountable to their prospecting commitments is the most valuable part of the coaching, but you can do the same thing without laying out a penny.

• Find someone you respect and trust. Perhaps someone you work with, but it doesn’t have to be. I do not recommend choosing a family member as your accountability partner…they love you too much and will not be as “tough” as you may sometimes need.
• Set a weekly time to meet. This does NOT have to be a long meeting. Two people can get it done in 10 minutes per week.
• Meeting #1 – Make promises to each other. You can make both business and personal promises if you like. e.g. – “Between now and our next call I’ll send 50 cold emails per day, and I’ll eat healthy and lose 1.5 pounds.”
• Meeting #2 – Review the promises you made last week and whether you kept your word or not. You only have 5 minutes each so get to the point. e.g. – “Last week I promised to send 50 cold emails per day. I did it.” “Last week I promised to eat healthy and lose 1.5 pounds. I did my best but had a big celebration meal on Saturday which included a lot of alcohol and desserts. I’m actually up .5 pounds.”

When your accountability partner keeps their word, high 5 them! (If you’re doing it by phone celebrate them keeping their word with encouragement…”Well done!” “Excellent work” etc.

When your accountability partner does not keep their word, kick their ass. “What the heck do you mean you didn’t eat healthy and lose the weight? You f***ing PROMISED me that you would.”

• Play for keeps. Do not let each other off the hook. EXPECT AND DEMAND THEM TO DO WHAT THEY PROMISED THEY’D DO. That’s what makes this work.

Excuses don’t help you achieve your goals. Knowing there is someone else you’ve given your word to, and that is going to expect a report on whether you did or not keep it, can often be the difference between success and failure.

Get an accountability partner TODAY. Don’t wait until after Thanksgiving, or the first of the year…get started NOW. In the Olympics, the difference between a Gold medal, and coming in second can often be measured in hundredths of a second. No one remembers the silver medalist.

PLAY TO WIN. Get an accountability partner.