This is one of my favorite subjects; it’s so important because accountability without authority means nothing, and no responsibility equals no accountability. Here are three pillars to keep in mind:
- Track your time and understand what you are doing on a daily basis. Without that, it’s hard to get a foundation of where you need to hold yourself accountable. Track your time, literally minute by minute, over three days, and you will know exactly what you are doing and what you are not doing.
- Take that calendar you just tracked and put it up against three leading and measurable goals for those activities you get paid for vs. those you don’t. You can see where your time is on and where it’s off. Become a student of your calendar with time blocking and color coding to use as the ultimate self-accountability stick to organizing your day and growing your business.
- Have an accountability partner. This is critical. Find someone – a manager, a friend, or maybe a person you hire – who holds your feet to the fire, not someone who listens to your excuses and lets you not do what you said you will do. Use a daily phone call of five minutes or less to set your goals for the day and the week, and to explore what went wrong and how you are doing to move forward to evolve your potential. Remember, though, that it’s important to not overreach or you’ll feel like you are always running after your goal. Keep it simple so you can accomplish a lot.
Master these accountability techniques and you are the master of your destiny.
THINK BIG!
Jon
