Your Secret Weapon for Business Success: Accountability

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I’m a big fan of business accountability partners.

There are so many benefits to having someone hold your feet to the fire when you say you’re going to do something:

…improved productivity.
…faster momentum toward specific goals.

…more awareness of time-sucking distractions.
…greater perspective about what’s really important.

This is the stuff of long-term business success.

Searching for the right accountability partner

Please don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can succeed as an entrepreneur on your own. There is so much to learn and to do and, for women business owners in particular, the rate of burn-out and discouragement can be high. Help really is there for the asking, but you need to do some due diligence first.

The trick to deep, impactful, wow-I-can’t-believe-I-achieved-that accountability is finding the right partner. I’ve been involved with some less-than-effective accountability partnerships in the past, but with time and experience, I‘ve gotten pretty good at sizing up potential accountability relationships that have serious success potential.

As with most everything, in order to find what you need, you need to know what you’re looking for. What should an accountability partner do for you (and you for her)?

What makes a good accountability partner great?

You’ve heard the saying (apparently created by Ben Franklin): if you want something done, ask a busy person. This is also true when choosing accountability partners.

Great accountability partners are disciplined.

There’s a strong possibility that a potentially great accountability partner has a lot on her plate, but that’s a good thing. She understands the value of time, of managing it well, and where the pitfalls to waste it lurk. Your partner thrives on goal-setting, commitment, and meeting deadlines. She believes in the benefits of routines, setting boundaries, and managing mind over mood to get things done. This is the kind of person you want on your side.

Great accountability partners possess objectivity.

While you’re floundering in a quagmire of competing business priorities, an objective person can step back and see things for what they really are–what you actually need to focus on or what you can outsource or let go of entirely.

She can help you temper your enthusiasm for shiny things that won’t contribute to reaching your goals, and she can spot gaps in your proficiencies. She is your grounded, clear-thinking guide in the jungle of business ownership.

But, here’s the curious thing about objectivity… While we can be highly objective about the situations of others, we tend to be very subjective about ourselves. Our personal emotions and biases formed through life experience are just too powerful to let us see otherwise.

One more very good reason to find an objective accountability partner!

Great accountability partners are honest.

There’s no need to be unkind in accountability conversations if you don’t agree with something, but brutal honesty from an accountability partner is crucial. Candor could mean the difference between costing or saving you thousands of dollars in your business. Interacting this way also builds trust.

Nobody likes to have their ideas shot down, but masking your honest reaction to an idea that seems on shaky ground serves no one. We’re big girls here. This is not the time to “be nice” to spare hurt feelings. The best accountability partners tell the truth as they see it, and offer solid reasons that support their opinion.

Great accountability partners have a shared interest in professional growth.

Shared interests and goals have power. When two people “get” each other’s goals and commit to accelerating each other’s success, the mutual-support vortex gains momentum and the energy and excitement around it is palpable.

In a relationship like that, you can’t help but follow through on your actions. You work harder. Achieve more. Celebrate success. Rinse and repeat!

Where are you on this ladder?

The downside of accountability partnerships

Did you think I was going to say that accountability partnering can be a bad thing? Absolutely not. But it is a problem when you are a partner – or you have chosen a partner – who isn’t ready or willing to share the responsibility of maintaining or making the most of the relationship.

This can happen for any number of reasons.

• Taking the concept of “solopreneur” too literally.
  (The mindset: I’d rather figure it out and do it myself. I don’t want input from anyone else right now; it will just muddy my vision.)

• Fear of judgment.
  (The mindset: I’m embarrassed to admit that I have no idea know what I’m doing. I’ll struggle through until I feel more confident about reaching out for accountability.)

• Lack of commitment.
  (The mindset: I don’t like being put in a position where I’m expected to follow through on something or push somebody else.)

• Incompatibility.
  (The mindset: She doesn’t get what I want to do in my business. Our goals are way too different. I feel like I’m giving everything here and getting next to nothing in return.)

• Scheduling issues.
  (The mindset: I never know if she’s going to show up for our meeting or not. She wants to connect just once a month, but that’s not frequent enough for me.)

One size of accountability relationships does not fit all

The reality is that you and I – and all women in business – are at different stages in our entrepreneurial journey. We all have varying levels of comfort with arrangements to share what’s going on behind the curtain in our business, to talk about how we’re doing, and to be a source of motivation.

And, as women juggling a million things, we have moments (and let’s not kid ourselves, even days) when the last thing we want to do is talk more about business. Bliss is pulling on the sweats, putting our feet up, and settling in to watch something on TV or getting lost in a good book, with an adult beverage of choice within reach.

The many benefits of accountability relationships

I’d like to ask: In this brand new year, already brimming with many problems – and potential, what goals have you set to achieve in your business over the next 12 months? If you have yet to consider finding and working with a business accountability partner, I suggest that you make this among your top priorities as soon as possible.

Yes, you have lofty customer or client acquisition goals that need your immediate attention. You have income challenges that aren’t going to fix themselves. But an accountability partner can help you reach those goals and resolve those challenges faster.

In an accountability partnership, you have the control to choose the commitments that matter the most to you and your business. A good accountability partner will see to it that you live up to them.

And then you also…

• Get the benefit of two heads pondering the same problems – a perfect storm for innovation that can be a game-changer for your business.
• Satisfaction from helping someone else achieve their goals.
• Learn more about yourself, from how you make decisions to what your ultimate goals are in life and work.
• Make more than a new friend; you expand your network, your knowledge, and your potential to succeed.

Get creative with your accountability partnership

One of the things I love most about business accountability partnerships is the freedom to make them exactly what we want them to be. It’s our gig. We make the rules. Do we stick to a consistent day and time to talk or is it better to be flexible? What business issues are most important to each of us?  How can we leverage our individual strengths to help each other?

It goes without saying that no matter what advice is offered, each participant is fully responsible for her choices, but what are the other expectations for the relationship? What consequences will there be for not following through on a stated goal?

Is it “payment” of a coffeehouse gift card with an agreed-upon value that’s equivalent to the level of lapse? Is it something bigger and more consequential (and motivating for you to pick up your game)? Or, do you each simply admit that you fell short and vow to do better?

Make it fun, functional, and future-focused! Make it truly meaningful to what each of you are trying to achieve in your businesses.

Both you and I know how easy it is to come up with excuses to not do something. An accountability partnership is the best way I know of to make it really easy to do exactly what you should be doing to achieve your most important business goals.

Do you have questions about how to find your best accountability partner match? Visit our Women’s Mastermind page to learn more. From Start-Up to Success has two mastermind formats for women entrepreneurs–online and in-person (if you live in the Pittsburgh region).

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