What Is Accountability: The Complete Guide

‍Whether it's an accountability coach, an online accountability partner, or a co-worker that's willing to help you stay in the game, having someone stand by your side and hold you accountable can positively impact your drive and motivation.

Worthwhile goals are not something you can attain without putting in a lot of effort and focus. That's where most people fall off. Studies show that 81% of people who start a new year's resolution don't follow through long enough to achieve what they set out to do at the beginning of the year.

Now, you definitely don't want to be another statistic. But, there's good news and bad news. Let's start with the bad; motivation doesn't last. So what do you do? Should you throw in the towel now? After all, there will always be days when you just don't feel like working towards your goals.

Thankfully, that's when the good news comes in; motivation doesn't have to last. You can take the right steps to ensure you consistently stay on course even when you don't feel like it or when things get challenging.

One step you can take is finding accountability, whether from yourself, others, or through personalized coaching. In this article, we'll dive deep into what accountability is all about and how you can use it as a tool for unstoppable goal achievement.

What Is Accountability?

Let's start with a definition of accountability. Accountability means accepting responsibility for one's decisions. It also means recognizing the goals that are important to you and tailoring your routines and behavior to achieve those goals.

Accountability comes in many forms. And you always get an opportunity to practice it, whether in your personal life, career, business, or spiritual life. Accountability can also be with yourself, as with personal accountability, or with others.

What Does It Mean To Be "Accountable?"

Regardless of where you like accountability to manifest, being accountable means:

• You take full ownership of the results of your decisions or actions.
• You make sure to give your 100% to get the results you want or need regardless of how you feel.
• You make sure always to practice the habits, discipline, and mindset necessary to get to where you want to be.
• You're willing to be evaluated or even called out based on your results and performance.

The Importance of Accountability

Like I've said, motivation doesn't last, and as it turns out, so does willpower. Yes, these two mental states are essential for productivity and attaining short and long-term goals, but they consistently fluctuate throughout our lives. Sometimes they're there when you need them; sometimes, they're not.

The real key to long-term performance is by cultivating discipline and the right patterns that will push you forward even when you don't feel like it. One way to develop those qualities is by getting yourself or someone to persistently hold you accountable.

It's no wonder why leaders love accountability for themselves and their teams. Accountability steers you clear of distractions and empowers you to take control of your destiny. If you work with an accountability coach or a buddy, you'll have the opportunity to have someone call you out and make sure you remain on track regardless of the situation.

Types of Accountability

Here at GoalsWon, we ask folks at the start about what they're looking for when they set out to find accountability coaching. Here's what we found:

• Accountability to my goals: 43.5%
• Motivation and encouragement: 20.4%
• Discipline or tough love: 21.1%
• Advice and practical tips: 9.7%
• Other: 5.2%

A huge chunk of our clients is in it for goal attainment (43.5%). Discipline comes in at second (21.1%). As you already know, this is the prime quality you'll need to build with the help of accountability.

Let's go over in detail each of the reasons why people turn to accountability in the first place.

Accountability To My Goals

We set goals all the time. It gets us excited, inspired, and motivated, especially if we think it's worthwhile. Everyone often starts at full throttle. We start staying late while hammering down on a project. We commit to paying hefty fitness memberships because we want to make sure we follow through.

Here's the thing, for most, following through only happens in an elated state. The moment that initial dip hits, performance starts to decline. Before we know it, we're making another resolution a year later, promising to stick to it "this time."

One way to stop it is by incorporating accountability into our lives. You've heard it, and you probably did your research; accountability works and having it gives you the upper hand in achieving your goals.

Motivation and Encouragement

Don't get me wrong; motivation is essential to goal attainment. Motivation can be a great kickstart. Just think of the way you feel every time you make a new year's resolution. Motivation and encouragement can get you off your feet to start doing that thing you want, whether that's starting a business, working towards deadlines, or getting in physical shape.

Finding ways to increase motivation is vital if you want to drastically change your behaviors and manage your life. Many of our clients (20.4%) look to us as a resource for motivation and encouragement. But, accountability is what ultimately makes them stay.

Being held responsible through accountability coaching is a surefire way to keep your motivation going, especially if you've already started optimizing your mind and behavior for success.

Discipline or Tough Love

Remember what I said about motivation? It's like fuel that eventually depletes, which you'll need to fill up time and time again. The ultimate goal of personalized support isn't to teach a person how to be motivated all the time. Accountability coaching is all about getting you to practice daily discipline.

Motivation is your desire to do something, whether in your job, family, or business. Discipline is your capacity to do it, whether you feel like it or not. That's the power of discipline, and accountability coaching helps you cultivate it.

Everyone looking to grow and thrive could use daily doses of discipline, which they must compound day in and day out. Discipline is a muscle and if you train it hard enough, it'll push you forward regardless of you feel emotionally or physically.

Advice and Practical Tips

Not everyone starts their self-improvement journey with the right tools and know-how. Self-improvement is a process with a lot of obstacles. Think of it as developing a set of skills. Many successful people get to where they are through trial and error. You might already know this if you're looking towards accountability coaching as a solution to your problems.

While there's no way around the process of trial and error, having the proper tools and strategies at the start puts you at a major advantage. This is the reason why you often hear the significance of having mentors.

How To Be Accountable?

Setting goals is simple. Just get in the right state, think about what you want, then formulate a plan on how to get it. Easy right? Unfortunately, it's much easier to get off track with your goals, especially if you lack accountability and don't stay focused. You must always hold yourself accountable to ensure you remain committed. Here are some strategies for practicing accountability to yourself:

Keep Your "Whys" In Mind

Your whys are the reason you're holding yourself responsible in the first place. Without "whys," you can't set goals, leaving little for accountability. Before you begin, make sure to set short and long-term goals that are compelling enough to pull you towards them instead of pushing yourself through. And if you're trudging above your limits, your whys might be enough to urge you to stay longer despite obstacles.

Plan Like A Pro

Success seldom happens without having plans. Benjamin Franklin lays it down, "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail." You'll have a much better chance of success if you make planning part of your daily rituals. Write it down, use an app, or do whatever it takes to plan, whether it's the night before, a month ahead, or six months ahead. Now you'll have lots in your to-do lists, and all of them demand your accountability.

Have A System

Systems are what you'll need to get everything in your life together. They organize all of the positive rituals and behavior you're developing through accountability, whether it's from yourself, with coaching, or with a buddy. Systems also let you invest your energy more wisely in your personal life, career, or business. With systems, you'll be in a better position to tackle and achieve your short and long-term goals. Also, why not set up a system to regularly review your performance? Now you'll always be aware if you're placing yourself accountable or not. Developing systems in essential aspects of life is one of the goals of accountability coaching.

Stamp Out Procrastination

Now that you've set out your plans and developed systems in your life, it's only a matter of being honest with yourself. Procrastination happens all the time, and the less spark of motivation you have, the more likely it's going to happen. Never justify your reasons for procrastinating. That way, you can finally say goodbye to them for good. A big part of accountability is recognizing your procrastination patterns and cutting them out one by one.

Find A Partner Or An Accountability Coach

Studies show that sharing your goals with someone compels you to be more committed. Why not take it a step further and ask them for a mutual accountability relationship? If you ever get off track, you'll always have one big call-out readily available to get you back in the game. If you're really serious, you may want to opt for accountability coaching. Peers are great sources of accountability, but they might not always be there for you and provide the individualized help you need.

What Is An Accountability Partner?

An accountability partner is someone committed to providing you with accountability, which you'll also provide in return. It's essentially a two-way benefit where you share your goals and support each other to achieve those goals.

Both of you take the time to keep each other focused, watch each other grow, provide feedback, the give the necessary nudge whenever the other falls off track. Sometimes, having a partner can make all the difference between taking action to achieve a goal, and struggling to stay committed.

Accountability Partnership Vs. Accountability Coaching

Your chances of success drastically increase when you have a partner or a group of partners monitor your performance. Accountability relationships can be extremely effective so long as both of you are in it for the long haul. But as potent as they are, these relationships don't always last. According to research, a good portion of peer-to-peer relationships drops off over time.

On the other hand, accountability coaching takes peer-to-peer relationships on a whole different level. An accountability coach is someone you hire to help you compound small actions to reach long-term goals. Yes, accountability coaching costs money, but you don't have to worry about the unreliability that comes with most partnerships.

Why An Accountability App Can Help You?

Not everyone wants to pay thousands per year just to get a coach to hold them accountable. This is one of the reasons why we've made GoalsWon, an app where you can get the accountability coaching and other resources you need without breaking your bank.

Once you start, you'll be assigned an accountability coach from our team.

Your coach, an experienced accountability professional, will get to know you, your background, and the areas you'd like to work on. Then your day-to-day support begins:

• Each day you'll be prompted to enter your top daily goals.
• At the end of the day, you mark which goals and habits you accomplished with any notes or optional pictures as proof.
• Your coach will check in to see how you did, give you feedback and help plan the next steps.

Your accountability coach online will help you implement science-based behavior techniques to drive lasting change.

Whether your goal is related to health, mindset, well-being, career, finances, relationships, or something else, having an accountability coach from GoalsWon will jumpstart and accelerate your progress.