Accountability is a Key Trait for Success

We’ve all been there, whether we’d like to admit it or not.

You’ve just had a great working session. You’ve worked through some important strategic issues and came up with some new ideas. You’ve agreed that these ideas are good for the business. You left the room feeling energised and positive about the future.

A few days later you realise nothing has happened since the meeting. The ideas are still stuck in a document on your laptop and unsure of what to do next.

Sound familiar?

Accountability and Discipline

This is a common problem and the area of greatest weakness from my experience for entrepreneurs, business owners, and companies - the inability to create accountability, responsibility, and discipline. Taking action!

The main reason most Visions never materialise is because there's no focus or discipline on execution. I see it all the time when business leaders create some new initiative that is supposed to be their "game changer", or their "big breakthrough", only to have it die a slow miserable death because no one has any idea what they are supposed to do. Or they have some vague idea but no real plan. So, nothing really happens.

And even if people do understand what they're supposed to do, there's little follow up or accountability for progress or results. The excuse most often associated with this lack of follow through is "I've got other priorities", which is code for "I don't care enough about the agenda, so I'll ignore it". Harsh reality, but that in essence is what you’re saying. And these days it’s always easier to turn to another "urgent" issue demanding attention and resources.

Bringing discipline and accountability makes us feel uncomfortable, but this is an inevitable of creating traction. But you don't have any other option if you want to build a great company.

You may be thinking that bringing discipline and accountability in your business is an unnecessary evil. It will make you feel uncomfortable, and it'll put pressure on you and the team. But you don't have any other option if you want to grow a Successful business.

There are two forces that will help create traction: one is your vision; the other is yours and your team’s ability to execute it. The first force - your vision - will drive you to madness if it's not executed properly by the right people. Some argue that this force is stronger than the second one. I believe they're equally important.

However, the second force – yours and your team's ability to execute the vision - cannot be understated. If YOU have the right commitment, the right people with the right skills who are willing to work smart, then you're already half-way there on building a successful business. Your job as a leader is to execute on your vision, leading by example, leveraging these two forces.

Accountability - Entrepreneur versus Corporate

In the corporate world, accountability can mean something a little different—it's still about discipline and responsibility, but it's more about the rules you have to follow and the expectations you have to meet.

In a large company, there are often systems in place to help people know what they should be doing, and how they're performing in their role. This structure is good for employees at all levels—they know what's expected of them, and what they need to accomplish.

As an entrepreneur you have the freedom of working whenever and wherever you want. That's great, but it also means that on days when you're feeling less-than-motivated, it's easy to just turn on Netflix and call it a day.

It's possible that you can get away with this once in a while, but if you find yourself avoiding important tasks constantly, it's time to get accountable again. Accountability is what keeps all of us going. It gives us the push we need to keep working toward our goals despite all the temptations we face every day.

One of the most effective ways to ensure accountability is having a Mentor. According to research, when someone publicly shares their goals, they have a 65% chance of success. The chances of success increase to 95% when you have a mentor holding you accountable. I've used them continuously in my career, even as a Corporate Executive, and now offer the ‘Business Mentoring Power Hour’ as a service to other business owners and entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

It doesn't matter whether you work for a big corporation, or on your own—accountability is a key trait. It'll help you stay focused, which in turn will help your business become more successful. What are you doing to stay accountable?