So lately, I’ve been feeling more “meh” versus creative towards my various projects. It could be the weather because spring can’t come fast enough or it could be that I haven’t taken a serious vacation yet this year and for Christina, all work and no play…well, you know the rest.
But the green buds are peeking out from the tree branches. Spring is around the corner in the Chi and it presents a good time for deep cleaning around the house and a check in on goals. Most of us set goals around New Year’s Eve and have a fast start in January but kinda tire out toward February. But a change in season presents an opportunity to refresh and return to the fulfillment of those goals. At this point, you might be frustrated with your progress or lack thereof – a “masterpiece of minimalism,” if you will. At this point, a jump start might include introducing an accountability partner to the mix. What is an accountability partner? It’s basically someone who can hold you “accountable” for achieving the goals you have outlined for yourself. Some of my best projects, whether related to work, fitness, nutrition, etc. were predicated on me reporting out to or showing up for someone else to measure and push me on my development.
When I was looking to improve my eating habits a few years back, I signed up for a group detox program. Everything I learned in the classroom portion was very educational and stuff I’ll never forget. But, the most powerful part was showing up to the group of strangers and reporting out my progress on a weekly basis. My wins and losses, the frustrations, ups, downs, and revelations.
This can work in the professional realm as well. Whether you’re trying to sharpen a skill like media relations outreach or develop better business relationships, choosing an accountability partner can be an effective strategy to push you forward and inject life into your commitment. Often times, we are more motivated about doing something for someone else but will let our own aspirations go by the wayside. With an accountability partner, you get the best of both worlds achieving something for you and making your partner proud.
So, how do you create an accountability partnership for those goals? Here are some tips that I can pass on that have worked for me.
- Narrow your focus on one or two goals you want to achieve. If you have too many, it can seem insurmountable and make it easier to quit. That is what we want to avoid. Make it easy on yourself and set yourself up to win.
- Determine a time frame within which you want to achieve the goals you have a laser focus on. I am doing a 21-day challenge right now. Maybe your time frame is 30, 60 or 90 days. Make it enough time to achieve the goal but not too long where again, you’ll be apt to abandon ship.
- Choose a partner who you know will encourage you and keep you on task. This may or may not be a close friend. If your check-ins on goal progress are just kee-keeing sessions with drinks (not that drinks are all bad) and you’re not talking goals, maybe find someone else. Consider another professional who is also committed to getting to the finish line.
- Establish periodic check-ins on a weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly basis and use all communications resources to dialogue: email, phone, in-person meetings, carrier pigeon…whatever works!
Good luck and go get those 2015 goals achieved, partner!
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