There’s something about these hot summer months that makes us remember that glorious time as students when we counted down to the last day of classes, listened for that final bell, and threw our papers in the air as we bolted out of the building chanting “No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks!” We were free from responsibility for 3 whole months and it felt amazing.
When you’re a grown-up business owner, it can be tempting to slack off in the summer, justifying our lazy days (and there are lots of great justifications for sure!). But can your business afford for the CEO, the CFO, and the top sales person to take 3 months of mental health days? Definitely not.
[Note: This is a guest post from Rachel French of Protea Coaching. One secret to our successful partnership is that we each feel we get ‘more’ from the other; talk about the power of synergy!]
I have found that one of the best ways to keep my priorities straight—and I’m talking both professionally and personally—is to have an accountability partner. And I’m one lucky girl, because my accountability partner is Maura Raffensperger, a seasoned business owner with loads of experience getting through summer months, holidays, vacations, and even personal crises while keeping her business going strong.
Maura and I met in a phone-based group coaching program and were paired up to do an assignment, and that was, as the saying goes, the start of a beautiful friendship. We continued to talk for an hour or more every week, helping each other set professional goals, providing feedback on ideas, and sharing our knowledge and expertise. When we finally met in person nearly a year later, I think we both felt like we had never NOT known each other!
There is absolutely no way my business would be where it is today if I had not formed an accountability relationship with Maura. Because this is my first experience as a business owner, I assumed everyone had an accountability partner! I was shocked when Maura told me one day that in her 18 years of business, she had been in 5 different Mastermind/accountability relationships, and that ours had been by far the very best. I was humbled, to say the least, and asked why she thought ours was so effective. When she gave me the list of reasons why we worked so well together, my response was, “Wow…it sounds like finding a good accountability partner is harder than finding a husband!”
So, what makes a great accountability partner? You’ve found a good match when you both:
- Commit to talking every, single week.
- Have a strong dedication to your business.
- Have similar levels of intelligence.
- Have complementary skills and knowledge.
- Like and respect each other and have good chemistry.
- Genuinely want to see the other person succeed.
- Can give feedback and even criticism in a supportive manner (be a good coach).
- Can receive feedback and criticism without being defensive (be coachable).
Sounds pretty easy, but you may have to try a few people out before you find someone who really clicks with you on every level. Where can you find a person who might be a great accountability partner? Look for them at conferences, networking events, professional meetings, seminars, and even online in Facebook and LinkedIn groups. No one builds a great business—or a great life—alone. Everyone needs a partner!
If you can’t find a perfect fit right away, don’t give up hope…just keep looking. And in the meantime, you might consider working with a coach. She’ll give you all the feedback, support, and accountability you need, and you won’t even have to return the favor. You’ll become more coachable and confident so that when your perfect partner does show up, you’ll be more than ready!
Rachel French is a Certified Professional Coach and the Success Coach for Smart People. She believes that our businesses and careers should create the lives we want–not compete with them. Rachel helps entrepreneurs and executives get clear on what they really want so they can set the right personal and professional goals. To find out more about how working with a coach can help you succeed, visit Rachel’s website: www.proteacoaching.com.
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