Finding Someone to Partner in Your Success

One of the hallmarks of a great coach is authenticity. For coaches, authenticity means that what you ask of your client, you demand of yourself. Just as your client has enlisted you as their accountability partner, every coach should have one too. This week we offer a bit of guidance on how to go about choosing an accountability partner. We can assure you that having one will change your life for the better. It certainly did for us.

The job of an accountability partner is to help you stay on task by holding you accountable for doing what you said you would do and being a sounding board for all those wonderful ideas swirling in your head. Having one is a great way to stay committed and motivated and increases the likelihood that you will achieve your goals. However, an accountability partner is not a magic bullet. It won’t solve all your problems or make accomplishing your goal any less challenging, but it can make the process of achieving your goals more enjoyable and much more fun.

Here are a few signs to suggest you’re ready to enlist the support of an accountability partner:

You’re willing to take responsibility. An effective accountability partnership requires that you take responsibility for both your successes and your failures. It’s easy to dismiss your failures as being someone else’s fault or suggesting that “life just got in the way”. It’s also easy to dismiss your accomplishments and shake them off as “no big deal.” An accountability partner will help you take ownership of your actions, learn from your failures, and celebrate your accomplishments. A good partner becomes your biggest critic and most devoted cheerleader.

You’re willing to be transparent. You must be willing to share your bad habits, your deepest dreams, and your biggest fears. An accountability partner can’t help you unless you’re willing to be authentic. You can’t bob and weave from your partner when you fail to meet a big goal or if you encounter roadblocks. You have to be open and honest in order for your partnership to succeed.

You’re willing to accept feedback. Accepting feedback from someone else about your goals and the actions you take to achieve them is never easy. It can leave you feeling uncomfortable and challenged. But that’s a good thing! An important element of having an accountability partnership is being humble enough to accept their feedback. Even if you don’t always agree with what your partner says, they have given you the gift of their perspective and you owe it to yourself to look at things from their point of view.

If you feel that you’re ready to take on an accountability partner, and we hope you are, here are a few tips on finding the right partner.

Make a list. The first thing to do when looking for an accountability partners is to make a list of people you already know that might be a good match. Start by listing other coaches you know and admire. Of course, working with another coach would be ideal, but an accountability partner doesn’t have to be a coach and the perspective of someone in another business could prove quite valuable.

Consider listing solopreneurs or small business owners you know or would like to get to know who offer services similar to yours to a different audience. Think about the members of the networking groups or professional associations you participate in. Have you connected with someone there whom you feel might be a good business match? If not, don’t limit your search to where you live. It’s easy enough to connect virtually these days so your potential partner could live anywhere.

Look for someone with values similar to yours. You want someone in your corner who shares your values so be sure to share yours and ask a potential accountability partner about theirs. If you have conflicting values, neither of you will get the most from your accountability sessions. For example, if you value serving customers above all else, but your partner values making a buck even at the expense of their customers then you aren’t going to enjoy your partnership very much. It will be difficult to be supportive of one another if your values are not in alignment.

Start with a short-tern commitment. When you find someone you think might make a good accountability partner, keep things casual at first. You may want to agree to a limited trial time of six weeks to three months. This will give you enough time to evaluate your partnership and decide if you’d like to continue working together.

In your first session, talk about your core values, your goals, and your business principles. It can be exciting to get to know your accountability partner so take your time and don’t rush your first session together. Subsequent meetings can be short and sweet. Set an agenda and stick to it. Your partner will appreciate it if you honor and value their time.

Consider Paid Options

Sometimes, you need more help than a single accountability partner can offer. In this case, you may want to consider joining an accountability group or business mastermind and be willing to pay for membership. These groups give you a chance to meet regularly and talk with other solopreneurs and small business owners. If this kind of support still isn’t enough, consider hiring a business coach to guide you.

Enlisting the support of an accountability partner is an ideal way to exhibit authenticity to your clients AND it can make all the difference when it comes reaching your goals. As we said, we can attest to this fact. We met at a coaching conference many years ago, became accountability partners, and coached one another for years. That relationship blossomed into what today is our joint business: The Passionate Coach.

Thanks for reading, see you next week.

Get your copy of our workbook, written just for coaches: Stop Shoulding on Yourself: 5 Steps to Create Goals That Feel Like Gifts, now available from Amazon.