I recently looked up the word ‘accountability’ in the dictionary. Unsurprisingly, it mostly refers to being accountable. That’s all fine and dandy. Let’s face it – most of us know what it means. When we are working for or part of an organization, the expectations are spelled out for us very clearly. The accountability parameters are set for us by our superiors, their superiors and we have to ‘account’ to them because that’s what helps us keep our jobs, secure our bonuses, raises, gainful employment, etc.
But what happens to the over 50 million Solopreneurs? What happens when we venture out on our own, dare to make the leap, escape the uncomfortable comfortability of working for ‘the man’ in order to follow our passion of being our own boss?
What happens then to the accountability factor that we’ve been so reliant on for our entire corporate life experience?
Naturally, we’re all different. We learn in different ways, interpret things differently and what works for some may not work for others. There are several common denominators when it comes to accountability that we can all put into practice to succeed.
1. Accept that you are the leader. We are all aware of the leadership traits required to lead a team or an organization. We’ve been leaders in this capacity or have had great leaders from whom we’ve learned what to and not to do. Step into that leadership role even if you are, for now, only leading yourself.
2. Accept responsibility for your actions (and your inaction). You might have had a to-do list to get to today but didn’t get a chance to cross everything off. Avoid blaming anyone or anything for your inaction. Take responsibility so that you are empowered to do something about it tomorrow. Don’t beat yourself up about it... just don’t repeat it. Even if you have to convince yourself by reciting on a daily basis “I am responsible for my own success,” do it.
3. Take ownership. Take ownership of what you want to have, achieve, and accomplish. Do the ‘not so fun’ stuff first and then get to the rest. This will help you move things along and getting those menial tasks out of the way first, will help move each project forward later.
4. Avoid procrastination at all costs. Do not ever leave for tomorrow anything that can be done today. This ties in a bit with taking ownership however, take it to the next level by getting things done.
5. Mind your environment. If, for whatever reason, you are not feeling motivated to get up and get going, try first to consider your environment. This is often an unexplored area for many people. While you may feel you are checking off all the mindset issues, you might be overlooking your surroundings. Well worth checking this out!
6. Self honesty check-in. Make sure that you have clarity of vision. Be honest with yourself and make sure that what you are working towards is what you actually want. I've seen it happen often: many are unable to stick to accountability parameters because they're not really motivated about what we’re working towards. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is check in with yourself. Taking a pause to self-discover or re-discover can be a helpful step in your achievement. If anything is coming up for you, address it, readjust, and get back to it.
Basically, accountability takes mindfulness. Be aware of what’s standing in the way of your sticking to your goals. Create those important habits that are required for you to achieve everything you want to achieve and above all, trust in your ability to accomplish it. You can so get it done!
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