What Does Being Accountable Mean to You?

Photo credit: Chase Chappell of Unsplash.com

What Does Being Accountable Mean to You?

Every Wednesday morning, I meet with four other professional speakers, and we share what we are working on. Then as time passes, we hold each other accountable for what we have said we want to do and how we will try to do it. This started as an accountability group, but it serves as a mastermind group too from time to time.

We’ve worked together in this fashion for several years now before the pandemic and now beyond. It’s been fascinating to watch the growth, successes, and failures that we have all gone through. We discuss ways to make hybrid presentations as effective as possible, how to use the latest software and technology to our advantage and keep our fingers crossed that one day soon all meetings will be in person once again.

It has been a process to learn how to work together, listen to constructive criticism, report on our results and findings, and to press on…always to press on, never giving up, only changing course as advice and the market dictate. 

Mastermind or accountability groups are rewarding, humbling, and helpful if they are civil, honest, and forthright. The creativity that has come out of mine has been nothing less than stellar. I trust these men and value their input weekly. Since I’ve been publishing this blog, I’ve stressed that value of mastermind groups because of my firsthand knowledge of how they help motivate and encourage you along your path. I always leave mine energized and ready to kick myself into high gear and create, market, and deliver.

But what do you do if you don’t have this kind of ongoing accountability? You can form your own group of course but understand it can be tricky. Getting the right mix of personalities is hard. We lucked out and got a great group. We’ve all gone different directions at times and the same direction on other projects. We’ve agreed and disagreed on points of view on many topics which only makes it more interesting.

You should be held accountable for the fulfillment of your obligations to the group and to yourself. We use a form that we complete each week before we meet to bring everyone up to date on our individual progress and results. The form is one simple way to be accountable and responsible. You can download a copy here. Adjust it to fit your needs.

This group, it’s mission and weekly goals are for me a part of following my TRIP system. I must be tenacious to be accountable, to be resilient after I get less than positive constructive feedback, to always fall back on my imagination for new ways to move forward and never lose sight of my purpose to serve my audiences in the best ways possible…with entertaining and educational keynotes and breakout sessions.

Remember to take a TRIP for a lifetime, not a trip of a lifetime.

In the end, it’s just one man’s opinion…mine.

Keith……