A mentor recently mentioned one key to achieving goals is to have a plan and a partner to hold you accountable for meeting it. Kind of like working out with a personal trainer…you actually GO to the gym when you’ve made that commitment to another person. So, if you want your commitment to stick, consider engaging an accountability partner.
As an Executive Coach, I am the accountability partner for my clients, but there are other ways to get an accountability partner
besides working with a coach: enlist a co-worker, or a small group of co-workers; tap your best friend; ask another important person in your life. Each of these options may work; it’s up to you to ask for the support.
One thing to consider: the accountability partner should be someone who can challenge you, someone who’ll tell it to you like it is and not let you get away with too much. For me, that’s my virtual colleague Linda D, or my sister Karen or my husband. I had lunch with a friend recently who told me that her top 3 accountability partners are mentors/former bosses who’ve known her for a long time; she thought of each of them right away because they – like me when she and I talk about things – will challenge her, push her to the edge of ideas. They won’t let her get away with anything.
Who is your accountability partner?
