Putting your accountability system in place requires looking at all the resources that you have at your disposal to keep us on track. There are 2 methods of tools that we need to think about to assist us in accountability- internal tools and external tools.
External tools
Your boss, if you are employed, is one tool for external accountability. As an employee we all need help getting to our goals and seeing new directions and good boss can help us do that.
A business coach can help guide business owners in any number of business issues from sales and marketing to building your start up.
Life coaching takes a holistic look at everything you have going on in your life and career and gets to the core of you and why you do what you do. They are able to blend your professional and personal life to allow you to focus on the things in your life that are most important.
Books: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a great book to help build the right personal habits.
Good to Great by Jim Collins is not just a great book about organizations but good insight on how we can apply these principles to our lives as individuals.
Winning With Accountability: The Secret Language of High Performing Organizations by Henry J Evans.
These are just a few examples of books that can help us with external accountability.
Retail programs and workshops can give us great insight on accountability as well. There are a lot of great workshops and programs that exist that can help us develop an accountability plan.
Internal Tools
Goal setting: Or for a business, we can call this business planning. This is a road map that can make sure we are able to assess where we stand throughout our success journey. This is a seriously overlooked and simple tool for success.
Morning routine: We call our morning routine a “power hour“. Regardless of how we do it or what we call it, the key is to get a routine implemented and do it.
Daily markers: Markers in conjunction with your goals are powerful tools to help keep us on track by reviewing where we are at daily.
Time management: How we manage our time is critical to dictating how we hold ourselves accountable in other areas as well. Getting a consistent time management system will ensure that we are doing the things that need to be done in a timely manner.
There is not a one size fits all accountability system. It’s a matter of trying different things out and seeing what works for us personally. This takes a little time but once we have it done, it makes a huge difference in how effective we are.
What works for you with regards to accountability? How have you figured out what works and what doesn’t?