Think about professionals such as Harry Josh, Jen Atkin, Wayne Grund, Sam Villa, Paul Mitchell and the list goes on. You would agree that they had support as they rose to the top, right? Even those who are solo celebrity stylists, they aren’t really solo. They need assistance with business, photography, social media, public relations, etc… And along the way, I believe they all had mentors they reached to for advice!
Who is your mentor? Who has experienced the level of success you desire? Finding the right accountability partner is key to substantial success beyond the technique.
Categories of Life
The seven major life categories are career, financial, spiritual, physical, intellectual, family, and social. I would encourage you to choose accountability partners in any or all areas you want to make a commitment of growth and development.
To stay on point today, we’ll focus on choosing an accountability partner for your career. As mentioned above, this is someone or a few people who have reached the level of success you desire.
Start Here
Brainstorm your list! Take a timer and set it for 15 minutes. Remove all distractions, i.e. your cell phone, social media, etc…for some of us with A.D.D you may need to have a coffee shop session to get away from a distracting environment.
Write down all the successful individuals or companies you have in mind. Then take each person and company and write down who they know or who works for them that could be the right person for you. An example is, I knew my friend Jacob was a successful real estate agent, so I put his name on the list. I could reach out to him directly but I also wrote his boss’ name because I’ve heard Jacob mention that his boss offered amazing education and has been a tremendous resource for him as he grew his clientele.
In other words, think outside of the box and avoid restrictions. You don’t necessarily have to know the person yet.
NO Relatives
There’s only one rule to your brainstorming session. Do not list any friends, family members or relatives. Why not? Great question!
• Because you do not want someone you can manipulate
• Because you do not want someone who will let you off the hook
• Because you cannot hold it against someone for holding you accountable
• Because we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves if we do not reach our goals
You Get What You Pay For
Have you thought about hiring a coach? Don’t worry, this isn’t a sales pitch. It’s my success story.
In 2010 I founded an upscale salon boutique. It was my first business with employees. Prior to, it was just myself operating as an independent contractor. So, after three years of great success and approximately twelve employees, I had hit a plateau.
I knew it was time to reach out to a business coach. I was scared of the cost. For weekly coaching sessions, the cost was $2,000 per month. To overcome my fear of spending $500 per hour, I asked myself, “what would it cost if I didn’t hire a coach?” When weighing my options to invest or stay where we’re were at with our business, the answer was easy. I took the risk and I spent the money.
After one full year of working with my business coach, our salon expanded our working space by an additional 50%. We had an 838% increase in profits during the first quarter compared to the year before. HUGE! We also hired our first fulltime manager and it gave me the freedom to work on the business instead of in the business.
As a result, our team has doubled, we have now have four managers, we have our first two apprentices and our Stylists are earning more at our Salon than any other Salon in our area! So, would you agree it was worth every penny? So would I.
Reach Out
Now the really hard part. Having the guts to reach out to them! Let’s get this fear out of the way now…. the worst thing that could happen is they will say “no”. And that’s okay. I believe everything happens for a reason. Either they aren’t the right accountability partner for you or right now isn’t the right time for the two of you. That doesn’t mean it won’t ever be. That’s exactly why we made a list with abundant options!
If you’re wondering how to reach out to someone on your list. I would recommend a simple message. Let me repeat that, a short and simple message that won’t overwhelm the recipient. No one, not even you I suspect, would want to open a message that is four paragraphs long.
Here’s an example, “Hi Jacob, I hope you’re doing well! I wanted to see if you had time this week for coffee or a drink after work? I have an idea I’d like to run past you and would appreciate your input. Thanks!” ~Your Name
Boundaries
Once you meet with your prospects and have chosen a partner that is ready to work with you, you must come up with clearly defined boundaries. Here’s a list to consider
· How often will you meet?
· Will you meet in person, via phone or online?
· In between meetings will they be accessible?
· If so, what is the preferred method of contact? Text? Email? Social Media?
· Will there be “homework” to complete in between each meeting?
· If one cannot meet on a planned date, what are the expectations to inform the other? 24 hours’ notice?
I’ll make a point here that this is why it’s so important to choose someone who isn’t close to you so the boundaries don’t become fuzzy. Paying for a coach makes the boundaries issue a non-issue.
Just Go For It!
Final thought. If you take these steps and stick with an accountability partner, you will undoubtedly have tremendous success. How can you be sure? Compare this to professional athletes. None of them are without a coach, let alone a team of coaches! The more people you have in your corner, the more powerful you become. Be courageous and just go for it!
