Newsletter for June, 2006.
Aided Accountability!
This newsletter is about the rest of your life, and
mine.
There is no success without accountability. But if you'd rather have people
accountable to you than be accountable to them, this newsletter may be
for you.
There are at least three kinds of accountability: them
to you, you to you, you to us.
Them to you: If you have a printer
doing work for you, and getting paid by you, then he or she is probably
accountable for delivering the finished product at a specified time.
Simple.
You to you. If you do not answer to yourself, you're unlikely to manage the more complex tasks, assignments, projects, goals of a small business. But it's difficult for many of us to be as tough or rigorous with ourselves as you would be with the printer if he didn't deliver on time.
It seems that most entrepreneurs take on their own business and their own sovereignty in order to avoid taking orders from "the man" particularly when "the man" was a jerk. And we acknowledge
that we have earned the right to do what we have to do when (and not
until) we choose to do it. This includes the right to procrastinate.
On the other hand, when we procrastinate, the business suffers and we suffer. Things don't get done, opportunities are missed,
conflicts go unresolved. And it happens to us all.
Within the world of small business ownership, then, are some dangers we've designed into it. We know that if we're not accountable, we cannot be successful. And we know that, as individuals, we're dangerous "we don't always act in our own best interests" we can be sleazy, evasive. (What I mean by "we" here is "me" and "many of my clients." You can decide about you.)
You to us. I function as an accountability partner to most of my clients. Here's how it works "it may be something you want. It's someone to help you keep your focus, keep the successes coming, even when you're feeling distracted. Your accountability partner just helps you be sure that you don't blow off the issues which are
inconvenient, and important.
I don't want to suggest that a business coach is a dominatrix for the businessman or businesswoman. Accountability is not a pain-based game with whips and chains. But, from my own experience, I have found is that as a coachee I absolutely need the help of my coach to get all the things done that I want to do. And my clients use me to help them get past the "I dowanna, you can't make me! "voice of resistance that can imperil the success of a small business. One client suggests that that voice sounds very much like an angry seven-year-old!
Here's how Aided Accountability works. You promise and publish accomplishments or goals. These can be short (one-week) and long (2 months and 12 months) accomplishments. If you don't accomplish every promise, we review it jointly to see how we can make it happen soon - next week, next cycle, next year. There isn't an implication of punishment or wrong-doing here you can be proud to keep the promises you make, and when you neglect them (whatever the reason) you're more
highly motivated to complete them in the next term.
You might see it as ironic that small business ownership includes being accountable to yourself, that being fully accountable is something many of us avoid, and that being accountable to yourself alone is probably one of the most difficult tasks there is. Personally, it's a place where I welcome help and I pay gladly for that help. The model I propose in the previous paragraph is one that I've followed for several years. If you think that you could use some help in your own accountability, I'm good at this, and I'd be happy to discuss it with
you.
Call me at 516 944-6454 or email to craig@craigjennings.com.
