When I was a kid summer was TV "rerun" time. And since there were only three networks "reruns" were pretty all there was. But who watched TV in the summer anyway.
What is accountability? Who holds you accountable? I recently asked those questions in several small business forums and got some pretty insightful answers. Many responses talked about the people (family, customers, business partners) in their lives that held them accountable. Others talked about the pressures of meeting revenue and profit targets to hold them accountable. Some said they held themselves accountable. I believe it is all of these things and moreWhat was common among all of the answers is that as humans there are many actions and behaviors that are foreign to our individual natures. For me it is being confrontational. For others it is doing detailed work. It takes intentional effort and discipline for us to do these things.
That’s where accountability comes in. Accountability to ourselves or others can often provide the motivation needed to ensure we overcome our natural resistance. For instance we know we must exercise if we are to stay in shape, but we often allow other things to crowd it out of our daily lives. Accountability to those that depend on us often creates the necessary motivation to make it happen.
So how does this relate to growing a small business? I guess the obvious answer is there are many actions and behaviors related to growing a business that are foreign to entrepreneurs. Huh? I thought being an entrepreneur was all about growing a business? Yes and no. WE entrepreneurs do not like to let go, we do not like to delegate, we like to control and we often dislike structure because we fear it can limit our flexibility to seize future opportunities. These tendencies are all in direct conflict to the growth of small businesses.
Now lets take it one step further. As humans we often don’t see what others see. Others have the ability to see gradual changes that we are oblivious to. The example of the frog in the boiling water comes to mind. We clearly need others to help us here. To speed our progress. To take on the responsibility of holding us accountable.
This is one of the reasons we started PeerSight. To provide small business leaders with a hand picked group of peers that understand the behaviors and pressures of being an entrepreneur, to take on the responsibility of holding each other accountable, to take on the responsibility of challenging each other, and helping each other take on the tough stuff that often is foreign to our natures. To achieve success faster than we can achieve on our own.
Who holds you to account?
Steve