In all my years of coaching people to higher levels of personal and professional success there is one common factor that stands out as one of the major influences… and that is the power of accountability.
While many people may think they are good at being accountable in their lives, the sad fact is that very few actually live it. The reality is that if you say you are going to be, do or have something and then don’t make it happen, then somewhere along the way you let yourself off the hook. This is not being accountable.
What Exactly is Accountability?
Accountability should not be defined as a disciplinary response to something going wrong. Webster’s Dictionary defines “accountability” as “the quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions.”
From another perspective accountability can be viewed as a commitment you make to yourself to do what you said you would do, as you said you would do it. No excuses, no if’s, but’s, or maybe’s, and no blaming others if you don’t follow through like you said you would.
For some people it is easier for them to hold themselves more accountable when they agree to a commitment that they make to others. the most obvious example of this is in the case of an employee who has deadlines to meet and they are accountable for the work that needs to be done within designated time-frames.
If they don’t, then this usually has a negative impact on the business and can affect productivity flow and/or business relationships with customers or suppliers.
So as you can see, accountability has a huge impact on many levels.
What I’m more interested in achieving here though is how you can become your own accountability expert. Once you can do this, then are no limits to the level of success you can have in business or in life.
Accountability For High Performance
Accountability is about high performance and not fear or stress. It’s about being willing to hold yourself to a standard that improves your individual performance and also having a willingness to be held accountable by others when required.
To me it all boils down to a matter of Personal Integrity (PI). You either have it, or you don’t. Those with PI will find it easy to hold themselves accountable for what they say and do, while those without it won’t.
Here are six simple steps to follow to develop your highest level of PI.
1. Always follow through on what you say you are going to do.
2. Make sure that you can measure your success along the way. If you can’t measure how you are going, then how can you measure accountability.
3. Be a person of your word and keep it.
4. Your actions match your words.
5. Keep your promises.
6. Stand by your commitments.
All these things must line up with who you are as a person. Having personal integrity always assumes that you are being true to yourself based on what your wants, needs and desires are, that underpin what you want to succeed at in business or in life.
Other Ways to Harness The Power Of Accountability
Now that we have talked about how you can easily develop you PI which will make being more accountable a breeze, here are some other ways to leverage the power of accountability:
1. Have an Accountability Partner.
Why try and do everything on your own, when you can work with someone that you know, like and trust, who will help to keep you focused. Remember though, that the goal here is not to have someone you can go off at when they remind you that you are letting yourself or others down.
The goal here is to have someone who is willing to walk alongside you and give you honest feedback as you head towards your desired outcome. Usually, these people are people you know and don’t have to pay for their time as they are just happy to be able to help you out.
2. Join a Mentor Group.
This is where you connect to a group of people who are all heading in the same direction you are and they have the resources to assign an accountability partner to you. Sometimes these groups are free, while other times you will have to pay to be part of it.
I’ve also been part of several mentor groups while building an online business and I can say with absolute certainty that these groups helped accelerate my success online and build multiple businesses.
3. Hire a Coach.
I have done this many times and can’t recommend it highly enough. The very first time I hired a coach was when I said to myself that I want to increase my hourly rate by 1000%. I had no idea how to do this as it was a huge goal, but I knew it could be done. I just needed someone to point me in the right direction and make sure I stayed on the right path.
I am proud to say that with a business coaches help I managed to do it in just six months.
Hiring a coach is a very powerful way to help stay accountable and become more effective at achieving results that matter to you or your business. If you think about it, almost anyone who succeeds at anything at a high level such as an athlete, business owner, singing, actor, artist, or anything at all, at some point had a coach.
Also, it does matter who you hire as a coach. Not all coaches are created equal. Always make sure that your coach has attained the level of success that you want to achieve, otherwise they won’t be able to help you get there. No-one can take you places in life that they haven’t already been to themselves.
Now that you know a bit more about just how powerful accountability is as a force for unlimited success all that you need do now is take action on what you have read. Above all, accountability is about taking consistent massive action until you realize your objective. Follow this simple rule and you are bound to win in business and in life.
