Accountability Partners 3-2-1

Last time I brought up for consideration the subject of adding an accountability partner in addition to an accountability group to aid in achieving goals. This time let’s look at a way to keep the phone calls with your accountability partner short and on target. I like 15 minute phone calls... anything more and my ear starts to hurt, and I have other calls to make. Remember the goal of these phone calls with your accountability partner is to keep you on task toward fulfilling your goals. If you take five minutes and your accountability partner takes five minutes, then with a little chit-chat you’ll be done in 15 minutes.  

Keeping to 3-2-1 as a model will help you stay on schedule.

   3 - Accomplishments

   2 - Goals

   1 - More thing

 

Just like accountability groups the focus is on accomplishments from the last phone call and goals for next time. I like starting with what I accomplished; this helps keep things on a positive note. Tell your accountability partner what top three things you’ve accomplished. Even if you accomplished ten things of note, mention three. This is a quick report and you don’t want to use up your whole five minutes.

After accomplishments move on to your top two goals for today. Saying your goal, or the activity to bring about that goal, out loud to someone has real power to energize your day. Normally, you’ll have more than two things you want or need to accomplish that day, but stating the top two creates clarity in your day. This is also motivating for those things you are less than excited get started on. One of my least favorite, but most important tasks every day is 10 to 15 phone calls to contacts and prospects.

Then move on to one more thing.  This can really be anything you want your accountability partner to be aware of. I might mention something I’m excited about or grateful for. “I have a phone call today with Wendy and I’m looking forward to the progress she is making on her project.” After this one more thing, it’s time for your accountability partner to talk and for you to listen.

After your accountability partner is finished, it’s good to confirm your next phone call or face to face meeting. If you’re doing this in coordination with an accountability group, then you’ll be prepared to report your weekly successes and accomplishments to the group. This will reinforce your activity and efforts with your accountability partner. REMEMBER: This is a tool not a time consuming activity so a little chit-chat to start and to end the session is fine but keep it short and simple

Accountability Groups & Accountability Partners

Back in 2003, when we first started to employ the concept of "Accountability Groups for Job Seekers" at the College of DuPage’s DEN program, we saw a dramatic shift in folks landing jobs. Having someone or a group to support the job seeker, helping them to hold themselves accountable really affected the participants’ activity and intensity in their job search. While we never quantifiably measured the effectiveness of these groups, it was apparent that folks, who had been in a job search limbo, began getting interviews and job offers.

In 2005 Orville Pearson published, The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search... where he describes a similar concept he calls "Job Search Work Teams." While not the exact same thing as "Accountability Groups," both possess an underlying principle that people are more effective when they have support and help motivating themselves to do things that are new, uncomfortable, or scary that need to be done. Left alone without support it is too easy for most of us to let ourselves off the hook, and rationalize reasons not to do something.

Not long ago, I met with a job seeker who mentioned to me that he was really working hard on his job search. I asked how he was able to do this and he told me that he was in three different accountability groups. I thought to myself that this went against a lot of what I teach regarding effective activity in a job search. As I drilled down he explained that before he joined the second and third groups, he only worked hard the day before the group met and often let himself off the hook until it became urgent to meet the objectives he’d set for the week. Sadly, he was giving up probably three hours a week in meetings when one meeting would have sufficed.

What he was really looking for was more accountability, more outside accountability. A few months before this meeting, I’d been pondering the idea of Accountability Partners to build on to the Accountability Group concept. Having a workout buddy that shows up every day to workout with you increases one’s compliance to do daily exercise. This same condition could work for job seekers, utilizing a daily 10 minute phone call with your "Job Search Partner."

In fact, this would work with anyone who needs to overcome some resistance in meeting a goal. Sales people, college students, small business owners and people doing their taxes could all benefit from having an "Accountability Partner."

I have used this concept a number of times in my life and my career to help me over the resistance, fear or inertia of doing unfamiliar or unpleasant activities. I suggest creating a bond or contract with another person with similar goals; partners who push each other forward, raise the bar and hold each other accountable will have a dramatic, positive effect in achieving your goals and desires.