I’ve achieved some pretty awesome things in the past 20 years, most of which has been as a result of numerous people in my life that have helped keep me accountable (more on this later).
The Different Types Of Business Owners
Having been in business for a while now, I’ve noticed three main types of business owners.
- I NEED TO DO IT ALL, YESTERDAY – I’m one of these people so can spot it in another business owner. I’ve recognised this tendency in myself as a way to “regain control” when I’m feeling overwhelmed – it’s not an effective or sustainable strategy.
The Solution = Focus more on priorities vs simply “doing more”. - THE MINIMALIST – A dangerous trap for business owners and will never result in anything amazing. From a law of attraction, subconscious perspective, if you’re only willing to put in minimal effort, your results will have no choice but to reflect the same. It’s a universal law.
The Solution = Set BIG, motivating goals that require more than just the bare minimum. - HEAD IN THE SAND – These are the people who are past mere overwhelm and procrastination. These folks don’t know what their next step is and they don’t even know where to start to look for help let alone from who. The result, complete inactivity and even blame that someone else caused them to be here.
The Solution = Identify The Next Step. Work on creating momentum and clarity so that the overwhelm can start to melt away.
Do you identify with any of these?
Why Do You Need To Be Held Accountable?
In short… because without either; highly evolved discipline or someone monitoring your progress, you won’t achieve half the things you say you want to.
Without a Boss keeping you accountable, you’d likely find it easy to slack off at work. Without clients demanding quality outcomes, you’d very likely become a very lazy business owner. Without a spouse pestering you to take care of something around the house or even a child demanding your attention… you get the picture…
Story Time | My Personal Experience
Since I turned 25, I’ve almost never been without some kind of fitness class or Personal Trainer in my life. I mean, I’ve been going to fitness classes on and off since I was 12, played netball all through highschool, my first dance class at 23, learnt (very basic) tap at 26, did Zumba for over a decade, became a qualified dance fitness instructor at 31, trained for a year and performed Samba in Rio, Brazil on top of a float in Carnival at 32 and now (at 40) am part of the most fabulous Burlesque dance school in Moreton Bay.
So why am I telling you all this? What’s it got to do with your business? My point is that I’ve done enough gym and dance to KNOW what to do but still, I find massive value in surrounding myself with professionals who know how to keep me accountable. Without my personal trainer encouraging me, I’d be less motivated to eat well and to train between our 1:1 sessions, and my dance teacher and fellow dance sisters keep my spirits lifted whenever I’m not confident with the choreography. We help each other. I’ve applied the same philosophy to my business – and think you should too!
The Role Of An Accountability Activist AKA “Coach”
Regardless the area of your life or business, the role of any Coach is to help you:
- See & accept the things that you cannot yet or refuse to see and accept,
- Gain clarity around what it is you actually want,
- Identify your next steps towards your actual goal,
- See that you do have what it takes to succeed and reach that goal.
Another thing I feel that a great coach does is to help you take responsibility for where you are up to. I don’t mean in a guilt-ridden, woe-is-me blame game. I mean in a very real and radical way allowing you to recognise and accept that no-one but you got you here, and that as much as you have been your own problem, you are also your solution. Once you can accept this, fixes to the problems you feel you are facing start to show themselves, resources open up, your headspace gets clearer and you feel more liberated and in control of the process.
Ready To Be Held Accountable?
Seeking the support of a Coach can feel uncomfortable. We’ve been taught from a young age to suck-it-up, get on with it and to grow up. So reaching out to another adult to help us with something in our business that we feel we “should” know can be incredibly daunting. It can also make a lot of us feel like a failure, because it’s admitting that we couldn’t work it out on our own.
The great news is, humans are DESIGNED to help each other. Humans are a pack animal and thrive best when surrounded by others that support and nurture their ideas and growth. THIS is what hiring a Coach needs to be about…
- Surrounding yourself with the right people who know things you don’t yet know,
- Finding someone who is objective about your situation to offer different perspectives, and
- Help you recognise your own strengths and potential.
If you’re keen to see what it would be like to work with an Accountability Activist, let’s chat!
I’ve been a business professional and trainer for close to 17 years and offer guidance in a range of areas including Marketing, Sales, Business Development & Efficiency, Recurring Revenue, Goal Setting and more.
As your next step, I offer a simple (and FREE) 20 minute Clarity Call
designed to let us get to know each other a bit better and to see if what I have to offer is what you are looking for. I am a BIG believer in creating a business that supports your DREAM life.
Not sure where to start?
BOOK your free coaching call
Still not sure? Check out a recent article I wrote for my web design agency ‘Can A Business Coach Help Me? How Clarity Leads To Growth’ more specifically around extracting that next-big, enticing and exciting opportunity that can really propel your business forward as well as help you get unstuck if you’re not sure ‘where to’ from here.
