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5 STEPS TO SUCCEED WITH AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

Home » Success Habits » 5 Steps to Succeed with an Accountability Partner

By: S.J. Scott
May 25, 2022May 16, 2018
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If so, then one of the best ways to get what you want is to find and work with
an accountability partner.



If you have an accountability partner, you usually get more personalized help
with your goals because the other person is focused on your success.

In this article, we’ll talk about the benefits of accountability. How to find
the right accountability partner.  And a simple five-step plan for getting
results with these regular meetings.




WHAT IS AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER?

An accountability partner is like a partnership where you mutually agree to
coach each other and provide feedback on a regular basis. With an accountability
partner, you each agree to talk daily or weekly through feedback sessions where
you share wins and talk about your current challenges.

Accountability partner conversations have some similarity to mastermind
meetings. The biggest difference is that the flow of conversation focuses solely
on the two accountability partners instead of a group of several people.



Let’s get to it.

(Side note: Want to level up your productivity and time management skills? Then
watch this free video about the 9 productivity habits you can build at work.)

What You Will Learn

 * What is an Accountability Partner?
 * Why Accountability Matters
 * The Accountability Benefits (and Drawbacks) 
   * Accountability Partner Benefits
   * Accountability Partner Disadvantages
 * How to Get Started with an Accountability Partner
   * Step 1: Search for the right person. 
   * Step 2: Be open to someone with a different background. 
   * Step 3: Approach your favorite candidate. 
   * Step 4: Pick a day, time and type of meeting.
   * Step 5: Create weekly accountability statements.
 * Final Thoughts on Accountability Partnerships





WHY ACCOUNTABILITY MATTERS

There are two types of accountability—internal (or personal accountability) and
external.  The focus of this article is on external accountability.



But before dig into the details of external accountability it’s important to
understand that personal responsibility is the same thing as internal
accountability. (Learn more about the differences between accountability and
responsibility in this post.)

Why do you need an accountability partner?


Having a good accountability partner can help you make serious progress toward
any of your goals.

You should always accept personal responsibility for every result, but it’s
often easier to blame other people (or events) in your life.

Playing the “blame game” can derail your efforts at accountability because
you’ll struggle with understanding the relationship between taking massive
action and getting results.



Instead, you’ll attribute every positive result to good luck and characterize
every negative result as something that just happened to you.  

When you make the decision to be accountable, it’s essential that you let go of
these negative thoughts and accept the fact that your future is in your hands.

There is no need to go through life making decisions based on negative events
from the past.



When the next obstacle comes along, don’t let it stop you. Instead, focus on
staying positive and taking action to move forward.

When you take full responsibility for everything in your life, an amazing thing
happens. You stop worrying about every event and start consistently asking
yourself a simple but important question:


“What can I do right now to make progress on my goal?”Click To Tweet

You don’t have to worry about answering this question right away. Later on, I’ll
show you how the different types of accountability can help you make serious
progress toward any of your goals.

Before we talk about that, let’s dive into the benefits of working with an
accountability partner and cover why this strategy should become an important
part of your personal development.




THE ACCOUNTABILITY BENEFITS (AND DRAWBACKS) 

Before we get started with the process of finding an accountability partner,
let’s go over the benefits and drawbacks of forming this type of accountability
partnership.


ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER BENEFITS

 * You have an opportunity to coach someone while also receiving value in
   return.
 * You get a very direct form of accountability. Apps are impersonal, but
   accountability partner often forms strong friendships as they share their
   hopes, struggles, dreams, and goals with each other.
 * You connect at a mutually convenient time. There are no appointments like you
   would have with a professional coach.
 * Accountability partnerships are usually free.



The main benefit of having an accountability partner is having ample time to
talk about your specific issues. Mastermind groups are helpful, but each member
has a limited amount of time to discuss challenges or share insights.

And an accountability partner isn’t just useful for business owners. You can
work with an accountability partner in a variety of areas.

 * Fitness training
 * Diet or nutrition
 * Positive self-talk or emotional growth
 * Effective communication
 * Relationships
 * Parenting
 * Smoking cessation
 * Budgeting (stop wasting money or start saving)
 * Home organization or cleaning
 * Writing
 * Self-help



Think of it this way—if you meet someone for a workout every single week, then
you already have the foundation of a great accountability partner partnership.

That said, an accountability partnership isn’t always perfect.  In fact, here a
few disadvantages to this type of relationship.


ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER DISADVANTAGES

 * You won’t always be compatible with the person you pick. If you clash with
   your accountability partner, you are likely to have arguments or major
   disagreements. This can be a discouraging experience or even become a major
   obstacle that gets in the way of your goals.
 * This type of relationship is difficult to maintain if you are both busy and
   don’t have similar schedules.
 * If one accountability partner is at a higher level than the other, the
   coaching can be very one-sided.
 * It’s not as formal as other types of accountability, which can be a
   distraction if you have a results-driven personality.



Working with an accountability partner is a great option if you need constant
feedback on your achieving your goals. If you’re interested in finding someone
to partner with, I’ll show you how to get started in the next section.


HOW TO GET STARTED WITH AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

The best accountability partner arrangement is one where you meet on a regular
basis (either every day or every week) and talk about your progress toward a
major life goal.

It doesn’t have to be a long conversation—I recommend five minutes daily or 30
minutes weekly. It doesn’t even have to be someone you’re already friends with.
In fact, it could be someone you’ve just met online.

During a session, you help each other stay on track toward your individual
goals. Both of you have a chance to walk about recent wins, review current
challenges and come up with strategies to implement before your next
conversation.



To get started, here is a five-step action plan for finding an accountability
partner.

How to find an accountability partner?



STEP 1: SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT PERSON. 

You can find an accountability partner online or in person. Your search would be
similar to the way you would look for a virtual or local community. Go to local
meetups, join topic-related forums, talk to members of your online groups and
reach out to friends who are interested in this type of partnership.  

If you get stuck, you can leverage the following online (and offline) resources
to find an accountability partner.

 * Accountability apps like MyFitnessPal and Coach.me
 * Reddit groups like Get Motivated Buddies
 * Facebook groups (just use type a phrase related to your specific goal and
   look for groups around this topic.)
 * Forums, blogs, and websites related to your field
 * Meetup groups
 * People you know (or have met) that share a similar interest in the goals
   you’d like to achieve. 



You’d be surprised that once you make that commitment to work with an
accountability partner that it’s not too hard to find a bunch of potential
candidates. 


STEP 2: BE OPEN TO SOMEONE WITH A DIFFERENT BACKGROUND. 

Your buddy shouldn’t be your exact clone. In fact, you should look for a person
who has a similar level of success but also has strengths and weaknesses that
differ from yours.

For instance, Tom (my accountability partner) is a writer who has achieved
success by creating a paid blog service that has scaled into a business that
specializes in creating content for WordPress sites.

We both use writing as our primary way to generate revenue, yet our business
models are completely different. That means we each bring a unique perspective
to the relationship. We use our perspectives to ping ideas off one another and
suggest ideas the other person might not have considered.



To find the right accountability partner, I recommend looking for someone who is
at (or slightly above) your current level of success. You want to challenge one
another, not create an arrangement where one person is coaching the other. I
have been on both sides of this situation, and the relationship always fails
because one person feels like they’re not getting value for their time.  


STEP 3: APPROACH YOUR FAVORITE CANDIDATE. 

When you find someone who seems like an ideal accountability partner, ask if
s/he is interested in this type of meeting. Explain the concept, outline the
mutual benefits of the commitment and simply ask if she is interested.



If either one of you is uncomfortable jumping right into “accountability partner
status,” have an initial conversation and then make a decision after you’ve had
a chance to get to know each other.


STEP 4: PICK A DAY, TIME AND TYPE OF MEETING.

An accountability partner meeting can be structured in a variety of ways. Some
people meet in person, on the phone or via Skype, while others send updates
through email, text or social media networks. The platform doesn’t matter as
long as you regularly check in with each other and provide mutual
accountability.


Agree and commit to a day and time that works best for both your schedule

Furthermore, it’s important to keep a consistent schedule. The two of you should
sit down, compare your weekly schedules and find a day/time that works best on a
consistent basis.

Sure, there will be times when you have to switch up the meeting time, but it’s
important to schedule a time block that becomes a permanent part of your week.
When you regularly meet at the same time, your subconscious mind will start to
come up with ideas and topics to discuss during your next meeting.




STEP 5: CREATE WEEKLY ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENTS.

You want to make what is known as accountability statements. These are action
items you promise to complete before the next meeting. In a way, they’re similar
to milestones because they’re small actions that are part of a larger goal.

The best type of accountability statement is one that is related to your primary
goal, has a clear outcome and is doable in a specific time frame.

To make the process easy to remember, I suggest using the PACT acronym: 

 * P. Possible
 * A. Actionable
 * C. Clear
 * T. Time-Bound Deadline



Let’s take a closer look at each element:

P: Possible

Is the goal in the accountability statement achievable?

While it’s okay to aim high and fall short from time to time, your goal should
be something realistic that you can complete in the allotted timeframe.

If you are trying to write a book, for example, a statement of “I will write
5,000 words during the next week” is an achievable goal if you already average
1,000 words per day.

A: Actionable

Can you take action on the goal? 



You might be surprised to learn that many people try to set goals they have
little control over.

For example: “I will get out and do something that matters” is not an achievable
goal because it doesn’t have a clear set of actions attached. It doesn’t say how
you will achieve the goal.

This is a far better accountability statement: “I will run a marathon this
November and complete an item on my, “Bucket List”

This statement is specific. It has a concrete goal. An end in sight. And it has
a limited number of avenues you can pursue. You have complete control over the
outcome. You either reach your goal or you don’t.





C: Clear

Your accountability statement should be clear and without equivocation. It
shouldn’t include a series of exceptions or reasons you can’t achieve the goal.
The statement should always be as simple and direct as possible.

For instance, it is “I will write 5,000 words this week,” not “I will write
5,000 words this week unless I get super busy or have to answer a bunch of
emails.”

When forming accountability statements, you should always consider potential
obstacles and have a plan for dealing with them. Adjust your accountability
statements according to what you think might prevent you from succeeding.

If you know the upcoming week will be filled with personal obligations, all you
have to do is adjust your milestone accordingly. “I will write 3,000 words this
week” is a good example.

T: Time-Bound



There should be a clear deadline for your commitment. In most cases, the
deadline will be the date of your next meeting. However, if you both realize
there will be a lengthy break before your next session, then go ahead and create
a deadline. Agree to email or text each other with the results.

As an example, Tom (my accountability partner) and I meet on a weekly basis
(except when one of us is traveling) for about 30 minutes to go over our online
businesses where discuss our “wins” from the previous week, talk about current
challenges we’re facing and provide accountability statements for what we’ll
accomplish in the upcoming week.


FINAL THOUGHTS ON ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERSHIPS

When you follow these five steps, you’ll get maximum value from an
accountability partner meeting.

Just remember to focus on the challenges you’re both facing, provide honest
feedback to the other person and create accountability statements that use the
PACT formula. (You can also check out these accountability worksheets to make
things easier.)



Do these things on a continuous basis and you can easily break a major goal into
a series of doable tasks.

I guarantee that you find an accountability partner, you’ll discover that it’ll
become one of your favorite conversations each week.  And more importantly, this
regular conversation will help you achieve some of your biggest goals.

Finally, if you want to level up your productivity and time management skills,
then watch this free video about the 9 productivity habits you can build at
work.








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Categories Success Habits Tags Accountability, Goal Setting
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