I know at least 105 things about accountability. I set a personal goal March 2011 to become fit by my 40th birthday, February 2013. The most tangible measure, and the one I have been most public about, is weight. As of November 2012, I had lost 105 pounds. One of the most crucial elements to my success had been accountability. I logged my nutrition and fitness daily, and weekly posted my progress on Twitter (@MJ_analytics #FitBy40) and Facebook. I am pretty competitive (to say the least) and couldn’t tolerate the potential public embarrassment of posting a “failure” on any given week.
Reaching a plateau
This worked for me and kept me going… until it didn’t. I reached a plateau. I knew it was going to come, but it was harder to deal with than I had imagined. To exacerbate matters, my 40th birthday loomed and it became apparent that I wasn’t going to reach my original weight goal. For self-preservation my self-talk changed, and I began to go easier on myself with thoughts of “trying my best” rather than redefining the parameters of my goal and intending, at my core, to crush it. This mentality was reinforced by many well-intentioned family and friends letting me off the hook by offering kind support, like “plateaus happen to everyone,” “think of how far you have come,” and “enjoy the holidays.” These things did make me feel better. I used these words to let myself off the hook – which ultimately made me feel worse. I came across this quote by Sir Josiah Stamp which really sums things up “It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.”
I’m sure most of you have had similar experiences in your personal or professional lives when striving for a large goal.
My new plan of attack
Two years after initially setting my #FitBy40 goal it is time to reassess. I had lost 105 pounds. Due to a lack of accountability on my part, I have gained 15 pounds back. At my weigh-in this morning (yes, back to daily weigh-ins) I have lost 90 pounds. It is time to get back on track. My mind is there.
My plan of attack involves three P’s—Plan, Practice, Publicize. I’ll explain each of these below:
Plan: The first step of accountability is to create something to be accountable to—a plan. This means outlining specific, measurable goals and assigning a timeline to the plan.
In my case, I am redefining the plan. Though my true goal was not to lose weight in time for my 40th birthday, assigning a goal date made me work harder. My initial goal was to get to a reasonable level of fitness so that my 40s and the rest of my life would be more enjoyable. I had always intended for this to be a lifelong change.
Evaluate your true goal. I doubt that your goal is to get through a busy renewal period or land that big prospect. I’m guessing that these are means to your goal, but that your true goal may be organic growth over a period of time. Define that goal and share it within your organization.
Practice: The second way to ensure accountability is to practice success every day. Underneath every overarching goal are smaller milestones.
I will do the right thing, most every day: meaning that I will log food consumed and ensure that the calories, fat, carbs and protein I eat are within certain defined ranges. I will also burn the appropriate number of calories, drink the right amount of water and get sleep. For me, achieving these goals most days means hitting the small milestones that add up to my larger goal.
Set an expectation that you and your staff will do the right thing, most every day: research a set number of prospects, make a set number of cold calls (try using Plan Selector or ModMaster in your pitch), return service calls within a defined time frame, read a certain number of new legislative briefs and other communications from Broker Briefcase, etc. Define the foundations that build success in your organization and make them a daily practice.
Publicize: This is the most important facet of accountability. Let others know about your goal and they will help keep you accountable.
I will go back to weekly updates on social media. I had gotten away from this; I told myself it was to minimize the bother to others who had to read it, but really it was because I was making it okay to fail by removing this layer of accountability. It may annoy some people to read my weekly updates, and I have been unfriended as well. I have also seen an unexpected phenomenon: several friends, acquaintances, colleagues and strangers have reached out and told me that they have been inspired by my success to take on their own fitness goals. At the end of the day, most people are happy to support others and help keep them accountable.
Post a public leaderboard. Celebrate those who follow the process and share their success. Create a culture where producers share what is working and isn’t working. Take it a step further and make it obligatory that each staff member shares a success story each week. When forced to share, everyone strives to create success.
Our goals are lofty, but we can achieve them by working the plan and holding ourselves and others accountable. Please help me remain accountable and share your accountability tips (and resultant successes) by commenting here, emailing me or continuing the conversation on Twitter.