I recently went to a small business seminar. We talked about important parts of business and even a few dos and don’ts, but something that we didn’t talk much about, that stood out to me on the drive home, was accountability in business.
When working for someone else, what holds you accountable? Well mainly, if you no longer do what they ask or do not show up when they require – you get fired. And when you get fired, you have to look for a new job and have the possibility of not paying your bills.
BUT if what holds you accountable in your own business? Working a traditional full time business flows very much like the job we just talked about, but what if it’s only a part time business? or a hobby that’s starting to make money? What if you are already working a full time job, have a family to spend time with, laundry to do and a house to take care of… what holds you accountable then?
If you cannot find ways to hold yourself accountable to your business, you may be struggling.
If you already have WAY TOO many things that you are accountable for, you may be struggling.
If you do not HAVE to do your business, but you just WANT to, you may be struggling.
If you are not having these struggles, good for you. I would like to hear about how you keep your accountability.
If you are having these exact struggles and they pull on you from deep down inside… I want to hear from you too! I think you might be surprised to hear you are not the only one who goes through this. And there are many ways to pull back and replace struggles with success.
This topic can get pretty deep, and we could start talking about goal-setting, personal development and finding your why… BUT today, I want to just keep it easy right now. We can get deeper into those at another time. Let’s just keep our focus on
- if you feel responsible in your business? for your business?
- if you know what is expected of you from you?
- are you taking it one step at a time?
- have you celebrated a win lately?
Answering these quick simple questions could tell you a lot about your own accountability to your business.
If you don’t feel responsible, what could you do to change that? Sometimes just connecting with others and showing up to “do the work” can help.
If you don’t know what you are expecting of yourself, sit down and think it through. Maybe a task list or work schedule would help, make sure you have processes set up to help you know what to do and when. (Example: call client, book client meeting, send reminder for client meeting, hold meeting, send thank you for meeting, do work covered in meeting, bill for work, call to follow up on work completed, file notes.)
Make sure to know what step you are on now, how to complete it and what the next step is. Looking at the big picture is good for planning but often not beneficial for everyday tasks, focus on the step and tasks that are currently in front of you. Taking baby steps is fine, don’t beat yourself up or compare your speed with someone else; remember all babies learn to walk on their own time, baby cows walk within a few hours of birth and yet human babies can take over a year. Comparing gets us nowhere.
Give yourself pats on the back when deserved, don’t forget to tell yourself when you’ve done a good job and celebrate your wins.
Remember I want to hear from you – what do you have to say about accountability?
Have a Successful Day!
Sara