Creating a GREAT Accountability Partner
👇 Everything You Need To Know 👇
First, a word on ACCOUNTABILITY:
“The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And if you have a specific accountability appointment with a person you’ve committed, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%.”
Which is why is it SUCH a valuable skill to know how to CREATE a great accountability partner.
It’s one thing to create calendar reminders and alarms for yourself, it’s quite another to have a friend meeting you for a run in the park at 5am. Consider that structures like alarms and calendar reminders are really there to support you showing up for your accountability partners.
As anyone who has been in a long term partnership will tell you: the good ones take work. This is true of any partnership, even one that is created to support you in reaching your goals.
Here are some of the elements of a great accountability partnership…
THE VISION
This person is on board with your vision. Beyond knowing WHAT you are doing, they understand WHY you’re doing it, and can therefore be a backup reminder of the bigger reason you are working toward the goal. They will also show up differently for you when they are connected to and maybe even inspired by what you are up to, so let them in on it, and get them hyped.THE CHASE
You chase them, and not the other way around. You are not asking this person to be your parent, but your partner. This means, it will not be their job to “check in on” you. Instead, it will be YOUR job to check in with them. They are there to receive your updates, rather than elicit them. Sure, once you get going, this person may end up checking in with you, but that will be because you have laid a strong foundation of trust that YOU are going to show up regardless of what they do. In short: don’t make it feel like work for them.THE WORD
Be your word. If you have put in place a reward and/or consequence for hitting your project milestones, make sure you take them. Celebrate with your partner. Share with your partner when you don’t hit a deadline, and talk to them about what had it go that way, and what you see to do differently the next time. BONUS: If you miss a deadline, ask your partner for a shift or change in the support structure so that they can help you get ahead of it if it happens again. When you do this, you get to share in both wins and losses. It creates deeper connection and also lightens the load of the down moments, and expands the joy of the wins!THE GAME
Invite them to have some skin in the game. A coach or other service professional that you are paying is an example of a partner who already has something at risk that will have them show up for you. However, you can create this with others by inviting an accountability partner to take on their own goal, which you will support them with in the same way. This exchange of energy takes the place of an exchange of money. Of course, you can supercharge your ability to hit your goals by having both, if you choose. The bigger your vision and goals, the more support you need.
Now go out and create the accountability partner that is finally going to have you break up with your BS excuses and get that project moving!
Michelle Akin is a Professional Certified Coach who has been working 1:1 with creatives since 2012. Her own creative endeavors have included vlogging on YouTube, sketch comedy, music video covers, original songs, freakishly accurate lip dubs, and over 300k words of fanfiction, to name a few. As a busy working Mom, she has had to master the art of carving out time to spend with her projects, and receiving adequate support to do so. She has been consistently producing internet content for over a decade, and has figured out a thing or two about how to keep productivity high without losing the passion, fun, and love of the craft. Her commitment to generating community as a source of support for people’s art led her to inventing the Break Up With Your Bullshit movement. You can apply for coaching with Michelle here.
Client Testimonials
“I worked with Michelle Akin when I was recovering from cancer treatment and in the early stages of writing my first book. She provided much-needed guidance during a critical transition, and the experience was both creatively liberating and life-affirming. I’d recommend her to anyone struggling to get unstuck.”
-Suleika Jaouad, Emmy-winning Journalist, Author, Teacher and Activist.
“When I first started working with Michelle, I told her that I probably couldn’t make more than a few thousand a month as a video producer. Recently, I had my first five-figure month. I expect big results everywhere now, not just with money. I expect great relationships, health, and ample room for my own creative projects outside of work.”
-Ricky Anderson II, Video Producer & Comedian
“Roll up your sleeves; you're about to do some work: Getting crystal clear on what you genuinely want and not just what you say you want, taking responsibility for the parts of your life you can control (spoiler: it's a lot more than you thought), and acquiring or honing the skills to do so. Working with Michelle is to enter a focused space of empowered discernment, compassion, and accountability. My work with her has catapulted me way beyond my goals. I do not want to sugarcoat; the work we did together was some of the most intensely challenging I have done. It was also the most rewarding. I emerged a freer, truer, and more effective version of myself.”
-Ruby J Tidwell, Software Engineer