Are you struggling to reach your goals? If so, then one of the best ways to get what you want is to find and work with an accountability partner.
If you have an accountability partner, you usually get more personalized help with your goals because the other person focuses on your success. There are benefits of an accountability partner, but you must find the right accountability partner for you.
What is an Accountability Partner?
An accountability partner is like a partnership where you mutually agree to coach each other and provide feedback regularly. With an accountability partner, you each agree to talk daily or weekly through feedback sessions where you share wins and talk about your current challenges.
But before digging into the details of external accountability, it is essential to understand that personal responsibility is the same as internal accountability.
It would help if you always accepted personal responsibility for every result, but it is often easier to blame other people (or events) in your life.
Playing the “blame game” can derail your efforts at accountability because you will struggle with understanding the relationship between taking massive action and getting results.
When you decide to be accountable, you must let go of these negative thoughts and accept that your future is in your hands. There is no need to go through life making decisions based on adverse events from the past.
When the next obstacle comes along, do not let it stop you. Instead, focus on staying positive and taking action to move forward. When you take full responsibility for everything in your life, a fantastic thing happens. You stop worrying about every event and start consistently asking yourself a simple but essential question: What can I do right now to make progress on my goal?
This article will dive into the benefits of working with an accountability partner, cover why this strategy should become an essential part of your personal development, and how you can find the right accountability partner.
Accountability Partner Benefits
- You have an opportunity to coach someone while also receiving value in return.
- You get a straightforward form of accountability. Apps are impersonal, but accountability partner often forms strong friendships as they share their hopes, struggles, dreams, and goals.
- You connect at a mutually convenient time. There are no appointments like you would have with a professional coach.
- Accountability partnerships are usually free.
The main benefit of having an accountability partner has ample time to talk about your specific issues. Think of it this way—if you meet someone for a workout every single week, then you already have the foundation of a great accountability partner partnership.
That said, an accountability partner is not always perfect. Here a few disadvantages to this type of relationship.
Accountability Partner Disadvantages
- You will not always be compatible with the person you pick. If you clash with your accountability partner, you are likely to have arguments or significant disagreements. It can be a painful experience or even become a significant obstacle that gets in the way of your goals.
- This type of relationship is difficult to maintain if you are both busy and do not have similar schedules.
- If one accountability partner is at a higher level than the other, the coaching can be very one-sided.
- It is not as formal as other types of accountability, which can be a distraction if you have a results-driven personality.
How to Get Started with an Accountability Partner
The best accountability partner arrangement is one where you meet regularly (either every day or every week) and talk about your progress toward a significant life goal.
It does not have to be a long conversation—I recommend five minutes daily or 30 minutes weekly. It does not even have to be your friend. It could be someone you have just met online.
During a session, you help each other stay on track toward your individual goals. Both of you have a chance to walk about recent wins, review current challenges and come up with strategies to implement before your following conversation.
To get started, here is a five-step action plan for finding an accountability partner.
Step 1: Search for the right person.
People you know (or have met) share a similar interest in the goals you would like to achieve. A good source is Facebook groups.
Step 2: Be open to someone with a different background.
Your buddy should not be your exact clone. It would be best to look for a person who has a similar level of success and has strengths and weaknesses that differ from yours. We each bring a unique perspective to the relationship. We use our views to ping ideas off one another and suggest ideas the other person might not have considered.
Step 3: Approach your favorite candidate.
When you find someone, which seems like an ideal accountability partner, asks if s/he is interested in this meeting. If either one of you is uncomfortable jumping right into “accountability partner status,” have an initial conversation and then decide after you have had a chance to get to know each other.
Step 4: Pick a day, time, and type of meeting.
An accountability partner meeting can be in a variety of ways. Some people meet in person, on the phone, or via Skype, while others send updates through email, text, or social media networks. The platform does not matter if you regularly check in with each other and provide mutual accountability. Furthermore, it is vital to keep a consistent schedule. The two of you should sit down, compare your weekly plans, and find a day/time that works best consistently. Sure, there will be times when you must switch up the meeting time, but it is essential to schedule a time block that becomes a permanent part of your wee.
Step 5: Create weekly accountability statements.
You want to make what is known as accountability statements. These are action items you promise to complete before the next meeting. They are like milestones because they are small actions that are part of a larger goal.
The best type of account statement is related to your primary goal, has a clear outcome, and is doable in a specific time frame.
To read more about accountability, click here https://fns360.com/category/accountability-2/.
