Any parent anywhere in the United States and probably the
rest of the world knows how magical those 4 little words, “here comes Santa
Claus,” in keeping a child focused and on their best behavior. But what happens
when the child no longer believes, the magic of the four little words vanishes
into thin air.
I’m sure the power of staying on course has been a challenge
since the beginning of time. As a matter of fact in Greek Mythology the song of
the Sirens drew many a ship’s captain off his course and to his demise. Only
one person, Odysseus,
ever heard the song of the Siren.
Today
straying off course can be almost as devastating to an entrepreneur. The number
one challenge for an entrepreneur isn’t sales, it isn’t capital, it isn’t
energy… the number one challenge is focus. Staying on track!
Since
that’s true, and almost every person on the planet knows it, why then don’t
more entrepreneurs stay focused? It shouldn’t be that hard. It’s simple but it
isn’t easy. We need outside help and that’s where the role of an accountability
partner or coach comes into playing a critical role in any businessperson’s
life.
Napoleon
Hill, author of the timeless classic, “Think and Grow Rich” studied successful
business people under the direction of Andrew Carnegie, the great steel
magnate. Napoleon studied 720 business people and the traits, habits and
behaviors that made them successful. There was one common denominator among all
720 people studied. They all had a group of like-minded individuals that they
met with on a regular basis to bounce ideas, gain advice and to hold them
accountable to what they needed to do.
That
common denominator, the one thing held in common to make them successful was
accountability. Being held accountable
isn’t always a pleasant thing but it is a necessary, you might say vital,
component of any successful person. Some folks are able to use pen and paper to
hold themselves accountable others need that outside help.
Albert
E.N. Gray spoke about another (but related) common denominator in his 1949
speech to the agents of Prudential Insurance Company, of which he was president
at the time. Mr. Gray stated right out that, “the secret of success of every
man (at the time the male pronoun was used exclusively) who has ever been
successful… lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that
failures don’t like to do.”
My
advice, find a system, a process, a method that works for you to hold you
accountable to the behaviors and goals that you know you need to be doing to
reach that level of success you desire. If a system doesn’t seem to fit just
right… talk to a coach!
Read more great blogs on Accountability on Jack's Blog: http://gybcoaching.com/blog
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