A flurry of resolutions starts every year, but you will fail unless you use accountability to achieve your goals. Sadly, this is the same whether we are trying to lose weight, build a habit, or launch a business. There are many ways for us to be held accountable for our goals and actions. However, the successful among us set those mechanisms in place before they set an objective.
Be Successful, Use Accountability To Achieve Your Goals
There is an old saying that “what gets measured gets managed” that gets tossed around a lot. There is a similar truth in how we achieve goals that we are held accountable for. We can be accountable to ourselves. However, it seems that we work best when we have the potential to let down others or at least share our failures with them. That is where a mastermind group can provide value far beyond business understanding and insight.
A True Team
The best teams are built out of individuals who work towards a common goal or set of goals and for the betterment of each member. That latter part is critical. Teams can be successful when they achieve a goal, but the best teams also ensure each member gets better during the journey. These groups realize that it is not enough to do the best with what you have. One also has to find ways to improve what you have. In a card game, it would be equivalent to finding ways to get a better hand than the one you were dealt.
Mastering Accountability
A good mastermind group finds a way to use accountability to achieve your goals. That may be in regular meetings where you are grilled on your progress, reminder emails, friendly jabs, or other methods. The key outcome is knowing other people care about what you are doing and your progress. That equates to you having to explain to others why you fall behind. While it is not intended to be crippling, there is a level of discomfort you should feel. If not discomfort, then the flip side of a little surge of good feelings when you can tell the group about your success.
A Support Group
There are many tried-and-true methods of a twelve-step program. These are often applied to help people out of the worst possible situations. Furthermore, they all use another person to help get people moving toward an improved state. No matter the name the “sponsor” goes by, they are still an accountability partner. While we all need at least one, it is better to have a few partners in our pursuit of goals. It is even better when these fellow travelers are going through similar trials. They understand us, know us, have our trust, and can provide guidance through the obstacles that threaten to stop forward progress. A good mastermind group may not rise to the level of your future best friends. However, these will be people you will look back on as essential contributors to your success.
Check out our Mastermind options and apply for the 2024 season. We will help you find the best companions for next year.
