One Easy Step to Achieving Any Goal

accountable

-adjective
1. subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.

Part of being disciplined is being accountable. One way to become more accountable is to take on the habit of reporting back. It doesn’t even matter to whom the report is made. The obligation to account ones actions changes behavior.

I recently finished listening to Marshall Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful. It is full of great ideas for being accountable as we make the changes necessary to attain the next level in life. One story that has stuck with me is Marshall’s accountability coach. He has a friend whom he calls every night at an arranged time. Marshall has a created a list of 24 questions representing the progress toward his goals. Some questions are mundane. “How many push-ups did you do?” “How much did you walk today?” “Did you say something nice to your wife?” Others are around specific behaviors he is working on.

The nightly session forces him to be more disciplined because he knows he has to report back. This concept works.I have tried to get in a regular exercise routine for years. Last year I participated in a wellness program sponsored by my health insurance. At the end of each two month challenge, I had to log onto their website and check a box testifying whether I was successful or not. I didn’t even have to talk to someone. That little act of checking a box forced me to be honest with myself as much as to them. It motivated me to exercise regularly. It helped me turn down the brownies being passed around the office. It motivated me to do what I said I would do.

For the last couple months, I have had an accountability buddy. We get together weekly via phone and talk about our goals and the progress we are making. What a difference this little activity has made in my life! Talking with her each week keeps my goals forefront in my mind and doesn’t let me slack off. I know I have to explain myself if I do. This accountability session has pushed me farther in the last few weeks than I pushed myself in the last couple years. It is a pleasure to do the same service for her.

We don’t even have to talk to make a difference. I was snowed under at work this week and had to postpone our call. I felt really bad when she sent me an email, admitting she was struggling with one of her goals. I wanted to call her up and give her the support she needed. I was in meetings and just couldn’t break away to do it. Later, she sent another email saying she had reviewed the notes from one of our previous sessions, pulled up her socks and got back on track. She is seeing immediate success, too. I am so thrilled for her!

If you are serious about achieving a goal, find an accountability buddy and report regularly. Perhaps it is a friend, spouse or a coach. Make the reporting session simple and concise: did you or didn’t you. No excuses are necessary. Report successes and failures. Soon, you will find the successes far outweigh the failures and your goal will be achieved.