One of the biggest assets in my life is my circle of accountability partners. Whether working in small groups, or managing big teams, I’ve found that surrounding myself with people who foster accountability is invaluable.
What do I mean by accountability?
Accountability isn’t just about sticking to your plans. It’s also about sticking to a mindset that keeps you inspired and motivated.
Every week, I make time to meet and network with other women who are walking similar path as me, in one way or another.
Peer Pressure
A little bit of pressure is good. When you have the courage to share your dreams and goals with people you trust, you put them in a position where they can remind you of what your dreams and goals are, and whether you keep pursuing them.
Your peers want you to succeed. Your success keeps them motivated. It keeps them hopeful. And it keeps them inspired. Your accountability peers aren’t your competition, they’re your allies.
Illusion of Competition
Competition is an illusion and is largely a masculine construct. It sees people as threats, not allies. It makes people winners and losers. But we can all win!
Sharing and collaboration is part of our feminine DNA. We’re wired to help and support one another – we always have been! Go back in time and you’ll notice that women have almost always shared resources. We’ve even helped raise each other’s children.
Competition isn’t truly part of our feminine world, because our “gatherer instincts” tell us that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When we subscribe to competitive thinking, we’re really ignoring the possibilities that collaborative accountability can give us.
Abundance Abounds
When you see people as allies, rather than threats, the abundance replaces scarcity. Stephen Covey coined the terms “scarcity mindset” and “abundance mindset” in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The scarcity mindset views life as a finite pie, where if one person takes a big piece, it leaves less for others. You don’t have to look around the world to see evidence of scarcity mindset. People horde assets, resources, information and intellectual property that could quite easily by shared. There’s enough to go around!
Having the support of accountability partners means we’re surrounded by people who share our abundance mindset.
Pools of Possibility
The last point in Caroline Castrillon’s piece 5 Ways To Go From a Scarcity To Abundance Mindset, is: Train your mind to recognize the possibilities.
She cites a Harvard study which says that when we focus on one thing very intently, other possibilities that are presented to us on a platter go completely un-noticed. That’s where accountability partners play a part. They’re there to point out the things that might be blindsiding us, or highlight opportunities that we might be overlooking.
Reach Out
Accountability networks don’t need to be face-to-face (it’s just nice if they are.) Track down business clubs, online forums, Facebook groups or places like Chambers of Commerce & Industry. They can be a mine of information when it comes to networks, contacts and resources.
And seek those you trust and will hold you accountable to your goals and dreams. They will play an invaluable role in your business and life.
Read Caroline Castrillon’s piece 5 Ways To Go From a Scarcity To Abundance Mindset here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2020/07/12/5-ways-to-go-from-a-scarcity-to-abundance-mindset/?sh=266d38191197
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