Accountability Partner? Who? If you are wondering what an accountability partner is, let me make you clear about it. Accountability Partner, if put in one line, supports and helps another person stick to their commitment. It can be a friend, colleague, or relative who will support (or maybe teach/coach) to help you keep your commitments? An accountable partner is the one with whom you can be fully transparent and get/give true feedback, share your thoughts and share problems you face. The requisite is that there should be a level of trust between you and your partner. Ensure the person you choose really cares for you, someone who would jump in to help you when you get out of your life/career track.
Qualities to look for in an accountability partner
1. Discipline
Discipline is the golden key to achieve or do something in your life as it makes a person perfect. Your accountability partner is your coach and helps you to be on your career track. They need to be adequately disciplined. It is indeed difficult to select a disciplined partner who doesn’t take it easy on you.
2. Trustworthy
Although this goes without saying, you will not tell your partner everything or be transparent in front of them if you do not trust them in the first place. Hence, it would help if you choose someone trustworthily. In the course of this relationship, you may share some of your private things about yourself. In other words, you are pouring your private things out of your heart to someone. Imagine this person turns around, breaks your trust, and shares your private information with some third person. There can be nothing worse than that. Therefore, you should choose someone who will keep your secrets and protect you always.
3. Someone with the Die or Ride attitude
If your partner is fully committed to you, they should always listen to your goals and give time for what you want to achieve. Help you to get prepare for it and achieve before the deadline. Your partner should also need to tell you about their own goals and strategies, and you should support them the way they do to you. Nothing is more demotivating than knowing your accountable partner/coach/mentor themself missed their own goals due to a lack of effort.
4. Cheerleader
Motivation will always help you grow, and a partner who motivates you cheers you every time you need it. Your partner must cheer you as you work hard and start achieving your goals. If you are falling in your life, your partner’s responsibility is to do whatever there is in his or her capacity to prevent you from falling. They should also give you credits for crossing every obstacle and every milestone.
5. Your partner must invest their time in your goals
In today’s day and age, everyone is busy with their own lives. It would help if you had someone whose schedule is not all watertight. However, It isn’t easy to find such a partner because it would not be useful if your partner is not there when you need them the most. Your partner must create a schedule with a date and time and make plans with you. Even more importantly, that person should witness you through all the progress you make towards your goal. You should definitely reconsider your choice if your partner is not able to invest much time.
6. Challenging
You will surely get demotivated and lose your self-confidence if your partner does not throw challenges on you. It isn’t easy to grow without challenges because challenges help you to push your limits. Choose someone who will be challenging but not critical. They should make you challenge and looks into your mistakes. If you really find someone who takes their role as an accountability partner seriously, then it is about time your life will change for good.
Final Thought
Before you step up to choose an accountable partner for yourself, you have to know what accountability is all about. You should know that it’s not about making the other person solely responsible for your success. It is about being open and transparent with whatever you are doing and why you are doing it. Make one thing clear in your mind that you must complete your own career plan that includes your decisions, choices, needs, habits, etc. An accountable partner’s role is to boost you up and extend his/her helping hand. You are the one who is responsible for achieving the goals you set for yourself. Their role starts and ends in supporting you on your journey to your goals. They shouldn’t be held the scapegoat for your failures or faults.