Raise your hand if you’ve read countless leadership books. Keep it up if you’ve listened to podcast after podcast about how to succeed in business…as a manager…as a partner… How many of them talked about accountability or holding others accountable? How many of your were today years old when you realized accountability starts with yourself? Having an Accountability Partner changed my entire outlook.
As you’ve probably read in other posts, I had a very hard time transitioning out of my last corporate position. I was burnt out, and for the first time ever, I had no direction, no drive and no clue what to do about it. My job had drained all aspects of a social life and it certainly didn’t allow for the 45-minute commute back to my hometown so that I could attend my Toastmasters club’s weekly meeting.
How it All Started
One day, I received an email from Toastmasters, advertising a weekend workshop. I had nothing else planned for that weekend, so I decided to attend the free workshop. For a night owl, I surprised myself when I woke up in time for the 8am virtual session. But thank God I did.
The host of this session talked about accountability and goal setting. After the initial keynote, she randomly sent us into a breakout room with one other toastmaster who would become our Accountability Partner. Our assignment was simple: set goals and deadlines; and schedule a day and time to reconnect to share your progress. At first, I made up some fairly superficial goals, just to get through the session. But as I attended other sessions throughout the weekend, this assignment stuck with me…
By the time my Accountability Partner and I were set to follow up with each other, I had re-written my goals, accomplished them and had a whole new outlook on the future.
What Are the Chances?
I was paired up with Geraldine Hogan, a retired School Teacher turned Lawyer, turned Judge, turned Author, whose goal was to launch an online course for teachers looking for a career pivot. (Teachers: Check out her Facebook group!) She and I had never spoken before that breakout session but have spoken every Monday night since. We’re going on eight months, and each week we share progress and set new goals. Our conversations have evolved into strategy sessions and brainstorms, but we never lose sight of the main purpose. To this day, we haven’t met in person, but we’re both thriving!
Often times, we’re paralyzed by the future, but the what-ifs. We let ourselves get halfway into a downward spiral before we even realize which way is up, and by that point, it’s even tougher to get back to level ground. Our society had told us that everything has to be the biggest, the fastest, the best – and it needed to be done yesterday. Goal setting and subsequent success do not rely solely on massive leaps and bounds. As long as you’re moving just one step at a time, you’re growing. Just try to take those steps in the right direction.
I’ve found that my weekly calls with Geraldine are catalysts for activity. I never want to be the one that didn’t accomplish my weekly tasks, and neither does she. In a passive way, we’re pushing each other to strive higher. We’ve established a rapport that allows us to nudge and question and push in a way that is non-threatening, but also incites a bit of thinking.
Finding Direction
You may ask, “Jess, but how do I know if the steps I’m taking are steps in the right direction?” My answer is simple: You don’t. But if you treat each step as an opportunity to learn, then each step will help you find your direction. The beauty of each step is that there’s another one to follow – and that next step has 360 degrees of options.
I highly recommend getting an Accountability Partner. There’s something special about speaking your goals out loud – once they’re out there, you have to answer for them. You’re forced to put your own BS aside and get to work. I personally like the idea of this partner being an unbiased third party – at least at the beginning. Once you get to know each other and each other’s passions and projects, biases will set in; but don’t get too far ahead!
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