One of the most powerful ways to stay on track with your goals throughout the entire year is to get some solid accountability!
Accountability relationships can be tricky, especially if they aren't well balanced. One person might start to feel that they are constantly nagging the other, or feel overshadowed by their partner’s success. On the flip side, a flourishing accountability relationship can completely motivate you and take your business -- or any goal area -- to a new level of success.
Here are our top tips on finding the right accountability partner(s), where else to look for accountability, and how to keep the relationship on the right track!
Find Your Partner
Existing downline or sideline partner
Teaming up with an existing business colleague is a great path to success. You’re both working toward the same goal, speak the same language, and if you share the same upline team, are receiving the same training, incentives, and encouragement.
Before you partner up with someone else in your same business line, make sure that you have similar goals. If one of you is aiming to replace a full income, while the other wants to work as a hobbyist and bring in a few hundred dollars each month, you may have trouble staying on track in encouraging each other to very different goals.
Ultimately, though, a personality match is most important. If you work well together and communicate clearly, it might be the perfect match!
Dream Team member
If someone’s on your dream team, it’s because you admire something about them and think they could bring that incredible skill or energy to your team in some way.
What about asking that person to be an accountability partner for you? You might not structure this the same way as you would with a direct business partner, but it could look like an informal mentor relationship.
This is also a great approach if you’re looking for accountability in another part of your life aside from your business.
If you share a common interest or goal with your Dream Team member, it’s a great way to nurture that relationship and pave the way for more collaboration --- maybe in your business! - in the future.
Workout buddy or life-stage friend
Whether for business goals, fitness goals, or personal goals, finding someone who is already in your similar life stage and circle is a great way to partner up to reach both of your goals. This could look like a fellow mom of a toddler who is also wanting to get better at meal prep or daily walks. It might be someone you’ve seen around the gym who agrees to train for a 5k with you. Or a friend from the carpool lane who, just like you, has committed to reading more this year. Look around you as you evaluate your business and personal goals - who else might have a similar idea? You can, and should, enlist multiple accountability partners for different goals - each one will help you generate the unique discipline, energy, and effort to succeed in that specific area!
Online BONUS partners
We’re not suggesting these as a replacement for real-life accountability partners, because the relationship between you and your favorite blogger, podcaster, or Instagrammer will almost certainly be a one-way relationship. But millions of people are positively influenced by these voices in their lives -- whether it’s the podcast on clean eating that always inspires you when you’re about to go grocery shopping, or the Instagram account that fills your feed with encouraging words -- and you can choose to “partner” with the right people by curating your social input feeds at the beginning of the year.
Choose to follow, listen to, friend, and engage with people and creators who inspire you to make progress toward your goals -- not feel bad about where you are.
Stay On Track
Once you’ve identified your accountability partners, you’ve got to have a system.
Without expectations and actual accountability, you’re just friends who talk about things.
Here’s what we suggest:
Schedule regular meetings about your goals.
Don’t let them get sidetracked with chat about other topics - review each of your goals, your progress, setbacks, wins, and challenges -- and then brainstorm together about how you can move beyond whats holding you back.
Set up rewards and consequences.
If you meet a goal or a progress step, will you celebrate with an ice cream? A new journal? An afternoon off to go for a long walk? Set up incentives and rewards and let your accountability partner tell you when you’ve earned them. Similarly, identify consequences when you fail to meet a goal or progress marker. Failed to meet your daily or weekly reachout goals 3 weeks in a row? Maybe you get banned from Netflix for a weekend. Don’t make these so punitive you want to quit entirely, but real accountability requires a response when promises and goals aren’t met.
Have a Mid-Year or Quarterly review.
As we’ve said before, goals can change. Life can change. Plan ahead for occasional structural check-ins where you won’t talk about your progress, but your overall situation -- and be prepared to adjust it if needed.
What are your best tips for building strong and successful accountability relationships?
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