It was March, and I realized I couldn’t even remember what my annual goals were. Not good.
I’d set them at the beginning of that year. Such conviction and enthusiasm. I even printed them out and taped them to the wall so I’d see them every morning.
I was so sure my business would crush it that year.
But there I was, not three months in – and not only had I forgotten about them, I hadn’t made any real progress.
What happened?
I realized goals alone weren’t enough.
Here’s how I turned it all around (and even got to sell that business & cash out)
From Flabby to Fit in Business and Life
The same habits that get you ripped get your business ripped. A story-
At the beginning of last summer, after my dad had been hospitalized and bedridden for two months, I looked in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw. At all.
I’d let myself go from at least respectably in shape to … a shape that was getting closer to circle.
Why? After years of staying in shape – I’d let my habit slip. For good reason, mind you. But as soon as the habit slipped, my physique did too.
I re-started with my trainer who held me accountable. And frankly just paying to have someone waiting for me twice a week was enough to put this front and center.
Taping goals to the mirror doesn’t do that.
Paying did that.
From Mediocre to Massive: Applying Accountability to Business
The same principle applies to business goals. Fortunately I realized this (perhaps while you were still in elementary school) so I had some practice:
Accountability in business is as effective as accountability for fitness.
That is:
- It takes a process
- It takes accountability
- If you pay, you pay attention and get results
With the lessons from my fitness journey in mind, here’s how I coach founders to start:
1. Daily Tracking
First, start tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on a DAILY basis.
For example, each day I now look at:
- Bank Balance
- Leads generated
- Expenses
Yes, I said daily. Why? Because we’re building a habit. And if you’re only checking weekly – it’ll just become another thing that you only sort of pay attention to.
Even if the information isn’t updating daily, look at it daily. We’re training our brains what’s important.
2. Weekly Reviews
Second, add weekly reviews with myself and with my team.
Each week pull up the previous week’s metrics and see if we hit our targets.
I do this for my personal metrics and the business metrics, we do it as a team with the team metrics.
If we didn’t hit a number, we do an After Action Review to understand why (if you don’t know what that is, there’s a free training and template on CEOworkbench.com).
This keeps us learning, accountable, and focused on making progress.
3. Coaching
Finally, I always recommend a business coach or a mentor. There’s a reason why people get results when they hire a trainer. Why anyone serious about sports has a coach.
And all of a sudden, you think that being an entrepreneur you don’t need someone who does this for you? Hubris.
Like a fitness trainer, the coach makes sure you’re sticking to a business growth plan. He holds you accountable if you’ve gotten off track and helps course correct.
Here’s the thing you’re not going to like. You should pay for a coach or mentor. When you pay for a trainer, you show up. When you pay for a business coach or mentor, you show up. Just pay. Your brain will then start to take it seriously. Trust me, your results will be better (as long as it’s someone who has done what you want to do – not some BS coach who’s only coached).
He has frameworks that you’ve never even thought of. Helps you play better – and play to win.
Massive Results in Minimal Time
With these accountability practices implemented, I’ve seen huge business growth over multiple businesses and multiple decades. I’ve been able to sell three businesses I founded.
And I’ve been able to help other businesses do the same.
Creating habits, and relentless accountability is the real key to hitting your goals quickly.
Wishful thinking and sporadic reviews will only get you so far.
Taping your goals to the mirror won’t really get you anywhere.
You need someone watching and prodding you to stick to the plan every step of the way.
So take it from me – be relentless.
If fitness taught me anything, it’s that accountability leads to results. Apply that lesson to hit your business goals faster than ever before.
Want a free worksheet to kick start your accountability? Download it now at CEOworkbench.com
