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One minute, we were celebrating the holidays and the next, I look at my calendar and realise that we've got a few weeks before the year is halfway gone. And when I look at the goals I had started the year off with, it sometimes feels as if I did not even scratch the surface. This year though, I expect to close the year on a high note - amidst my ill-disguised panic over 'where the time went' I know that I will have grown both personally and professionally.
This year, I have a secret weapon. Before I divulge, I'll give you a look into how my annual review used to look. I would set goals at the end of the year and start off with full steam. But by April I would either be burnt out from going all out, all the time or frustrated at my lack of progress. Then I read somewhere about the power of walking the journey with someone who was facing the same challenges. My secret weapon is my accountability partner.
Partner
The person who you choose as an accountability partner has to have goals that they are also committed to working on. Your goals don't have to be the same, but they need to be similar enough that you can share insights when either of you gets stuck. And they need to care enough about you to call you out when they feel you slacking and who will keep you honest, and the other way round. They also need to be one of your biggest cheerleaders, they will remind you that you can do it, and they will remind you of your successes so far.
Process
It is easy to think that we can hold ourselves to our promises without any outside input. But sometimes, especially when we are on the grind it is easy to take our blind spots for granted. Sometimes it takes someone who knows us well to point out that we are taking something for granted.
For example, I have certain aspirations and goals related to my career. But holding myself accountable is an exercise in futility because I cannot answer to myself, but I can explain away why I didn't do 'x,y,z' without feeling any pressure.
Now, though, when my accountability partner and I set our goals, we have to go through the process of breaking them down into smaller, attainable steps that we can track and report back on every month or every quarter.
Imagine how ridiculous it would feel to declare that you want to nab a certain promotion and therefore need to work on a related skill, then three months down the line brush it off with 'I've been too busy to focus on where I want my career to go.' Speaking your goals out loud and making a commitment to following through in the presence of someone who holds you accountable is as powerful as writing your goals down.
TIPS
- While it is said that motivation will get you started, the right accountability partner will push you and help you keep your results sustainable.
- Accountability partners help push you out of your comfort zone and call you out when you're not being entirely honest with yourself - and they do it all with kindness.
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