You’ve probably heard the phrase “accountability partner”. Often times people have a gym pal or three to help cheer them on and keep them honest in achieving weight loss goals. A study partner that’ll help them stay focused for the next big exam. A partner to help them kick a bad habit.

An accountability work partner follows the same principles in forming a mutually beneficial relationship to push one another towards your goals. An accountability work partner can come in the form of a one on one relationship or a tribe of partners uplifting one another.

According to Inc. Magazine, accountability work partnerships are one of the most popular goal-setting strategies. Knowing that you will check in with someone who is emotionally and energetically invested in your success keeps you on track, even when things get hard.

Whether working with one person or a tribe, the first step is to set goals, write them down, make them clear and measurable. The next step is to share your goals with your partner(s) and verbally walk through your plan of action and a completion timeline. The partner(s) responsibility will be to then check in at an agreed upon timeframe regarding the success of completing established goals.

---

Here are three reasons why you need an accountability work partner:

1. Increased Productivity

An accountability work partner is a great way to boost your productivity and the success rate of completing your goal. “The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you have an accountability partner. If you have a specific accountability timeline with your partner, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%.” We often times allow ourselves to push out timelines for personal or business goals simply because we don’t hold ourselves to strict deadlines. An accountability work partner may not offer the same grace and leeway because they want to see you win!

DIGITALDASH PR Founder, Fiona Crystal has an accountability work partner and she shared with her partner a great idea she had been mulling over. She didn’t take action on the idea due to self-doubt among other things. About a month later she brought the idea back up to her accountability work partner. Her accountability work partner simply replied “This is a great idea. You’ve mentioned it twice now…what are you going to do to put this into action?” A little startled at the blunt honestly, Fiona took a step back and recognized that it was time to put action behind the great idea and to stop talking about it. Fiona’s accountability work partner provided exactly what she needed; a reality check to jump start her productivity.

---

2. Someone to Bounce Ideas Off

Want to go fast, go alone. Want to go far, find a accountability work partner. Working alone can be great! You can get so much done when you only have to sort through the thoughts in your head and your own to-do list. Often times, when working alone you can move at the speed of light. On the flip side of working solo, you will almost always hit a wall or challenge of sorts that prevents you from being able to move to the next thing on your to-do list. You may feel like your energy and creativity has depleted and you’re not sure which way to go next.

Figuring out how to move past ideation and towards execution of your big idea will suddenly seem insurmountable. Do you sell or do you negotiate for more, do you change your project concept or do you change your demographic, do you seek press or do you pay for advertising?!? In that moment, when you’re in a downward spiral and not really sure which way is up, consider an accountability work partner who understands your field and the grind that it takes to achieve success. Bouncing ideas off someone that understands your goal and the grit it will take to complete it is invaluable. Ideally, your accountability work partner will be able to provide that creative perspective you overlooked or will help you break down your goal into smaller parts from varying vantage points. Next thing you know, BOOM, you’re back on track to the finish line.

---

3. Someone to Help You Celebrate Your Wins

Having someone to rally behind your accomplishments big or small is a great way to stay motivated. Your accountability work partner will understand the effort it took to achieve the milestones you reach. They’ll have been with you in the trenches checking in and seeing the idea move towards execution. They’ll cheer you on to complete the part of your project that’s seemingly insignificant yet nearly breaks you. With an accountability work partner that acknowledges and celebrates your small and big wins, you’ll feel motivated to keep going and enjoy the ride along the way to success.

---

Great accountability work partners aim to keep you on track and help you work smarter not harder. Go out and secure an accountability work partner and set those goals.

Drop a comment below with any questions you may have and to let us know how it works out for you.