THE ULTIMATE ACCOUNTABLITY HACK

Accountability is such an elusive thing.  We try and fail to hold ourselves accountable.  We get accountability partners to try to make it work.  We hire coaches to hold us accountable. 

I have to admit that none of these strategies are particularly effective for me.   

I will definitely blow off commitments to myself at the drop of a hat. 

The shame of telling an accountability partner that I failed just really doesn't move me to action. 

And I can be quite persuasive in making my case to a coach.  Or just ignore them completely. 

However, all hope is not lost!  I have found the ultimate accountability hack…hire someone. 

I have been vaguely aware of this phenomenon regarding hiring assistants.  I don’t think any advisor has really gone pro until they have hired someone.  Nothing will make you show up to the office more consistently.  Nothing will highlight our own failures more clearly.   

Nothing is as effective as hiring someone to look in you in the face and say, "What's next boss?". 

Employees are the ultimate accountability partners.  You are shelling out your own hard-earned cash to have them do something for you.  If you don’t do your part to enable them to do theirs, you are hiring them to be on a permanent coffee break.  

This concept was reconfirmed to me regarding my blog.  This blog.  

I have a commitment to write, post and disseminate one blog per week.   When I was doing it on my own, I have to admit I would just call a bolo week every now and again.   

Oops, got busy…no one will notice if I don’t publish a blog this week.  Life goes on… 

But now, I have a minion keeping an eye on the blog.  Her job is to schedule the social media posts to go out each week.   In order to do her job, I have to write the post. Images have to be created to support the blog.  The blog has to be posted to the website and then and only then can she do her job.  

I get these gentle nudges, "Haven't seen that link yet…did I miss it?" 

It's Sunday night, "I'm ready to schedule those posts if I can just get the images." 

Since I hired her to help me schedule the posts on social media, the blog has gotten WAY more consistent.  I will let myself down.  I will tell stories and make excuses to others, but I have a really hard time knowing that I am standing in the way of someone doing their job. 

So, my advice to you is that if something is important to you, don't hire someone to hold you accountable, hire someone to help you! 

Your obligation to them will push you to do what you should have been doing all along! 

With Purpose,

-Lucila

If you are reading this blog on social media you can thank my good friend Shay!   

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