Accountability…who are you going to tell?

Who Are You Going To Tell?

 If you ever want to achieve anything, the first step is to tell someone, Accountability! I get paid to be that someone! Seriously, why beat about the bush? I get paid to hold people to account to make sure they are answerable to themselves via their back pocket. My clients use their financial position to hold themselves accountable; I am merely the messenger! They have been smart enough to ensure the person who will hold them to account doesn’t love them; has no investment in their happiness AND, will not give them wriggle room just because they are under the pump. Yet he does give a damn whether they succeed or fail (professional reputation). Who cares if they live or die (it effects billings…just joking!) You must think me a hard-hearted bastard by now, and yet that is not true!

The Truth About Declaring Your Intent

 The truth about declaring your intent is; it is not about Accountability! Yeah, yeah I know what you are thinking, I’ve just told you about how I will hold my clients to account for executing their declared intentions and now I’m saying that doesn’t really matter? As we would say here in the land of Oz “What The %$#&^%$” (except it only has 4 letters) AND yet in both instances I am being completely authentic and honest. Let me expand.

It’s Not About Accountability

 Any of my children, or my 3-year-old grandchild can hold me to account. I feel terrible if I ever let them down; and, if YOU are honest with yourself, the same will be true of you.  Likewise, in some cases, if you want to deceive yourself Atilla The Hun might kill you after 3 days of torture before you execute on your plan because you’d rather be dead than take the risk! True Accountability is YOU being held accountable to you…No one else…JUST YOU! As a professional I try and sort out those riskier clients before we get there.

Accountability Is Not About Being Answerable (and yet it is)

 Accountability is not about being answerable to anyone except yourself (NOTE: Those clients reading this need not think I will turn into Father Christmas or the Easter Bunny before their next coaching session). Accountability is about making the public declaration of Intent.  The declaration YOU will BE this or YOU will ACHIEVE that. It is putting yourself out into the universe, announcing your move out of the Comfort Zone. Why is that so important? Declaring your intent is vital because YOU Never Know Who You are Talking To! 

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”

William Hutchinson Murray

Accountability is Commitment

The Universe respects commitment. As does everybody else who is interested in whatever it is you are intent on providing, achieving or indeed Being. The more people you are prepared to be accountable to the more successful you will be at achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. Why do you think you are reading this? I am making myself Accountable!

In the future YOU can say “Hey John you said this dah, dah, dah …” AND you will be dead on correct. YOU will be able to provide the Screen shot and date to prove it! By the way, if you feel the need to hold me Accountable for my advice or thoughts it probably means the real issue is YOU have not actualised YOUR dreams…and sadly you'll know it!

The Wo/Man in the Mirror

That brings me to my second key point on Accountability. Yes, you must hold others to account for what they have obliged themselves to deliver. If someone has agreed to deliver X in Y time, they need to be held accountable. However, may I remind you;

He that is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first

John 8:7

 Accountability is a virtue best applied to oneself first! The moment you move to hold anyone to account they will turn on you with vengeance UNLESS you have first held yourself to account.

The Power of Declaration

 Whilst Accountability serves two purposes the one it is most famous for is the weakling. It would be almost an irrelevancy were it not a necessity. Holding oneself and others to account for what has been promised is essential to achieving outcomes. This, however, does not hold a candle to the POWER OF DECLARATION. The act of declaring one’s intention does two things instantaneously. Firstly, it demands all present hold you to account for your declaration. Secondly, and (far more importantly) it creates a magnet for the resources necessary for you to delivery on your intent.

 You never know who you are talking too! For all you know it could be someone who might know someone who may have something or know someone else who is just busting to help someone make the difference you are proposing to make! It might be the person you are talking to, or the person standing next to the person you are talking to!

Courage

 The world is awash with people who will hold others to Account for their failures. Equally the world is awash with those lacking the Courage to declare their Intent and stand up for their dreams. The truth is those who have the Courage to put themselves up and ASK for public Accountability attract the support and resources they need to achieve their dreams. Often from “those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat” (Theodore Roosevelt) who fail to declare and fail to achieve.

 So, where do you stand? Are you prepared to be Accountable? What is the level of Accountability you will accept? REMEMBER: The degree to which you are prepared to be held Accountable IS the degree to which you will be successful. To find out why and what else may be standing in the way or to start your journey towards your success click here.

First Published, 25 June 2020 on Thrive Global