Aspiring entrepreneurs want to make a million dollars a year and simply know their idea will deliver that result; yet, how many are willing to work with the purpose and passion required to generate such wealth? Thousands yearn to change the world, but they back down when the going gets tough. People want to live to be 100 years old, even though they don’t exercise, con­tinue to eat as they please, or won’t stop smoking. Every­one wants to be happy, healthy, and successful; however, very few have taken the time to identify precisely what they need to do to achieve those goals. This lack of con­nection between personal effort and personal outcomes promotes excuse making and justification for being incred­ibly average at work, and unhealthy and unhappy at home.

Chip and Dan Heath stated the following in their best-selling book Switch: “Only 2 percent of high school seniors believe their lead­ership skills are below average. A full 25 percent of peo­ple believe they’re in the top 1 percent in their ability to get along with others. Ninety-four percent of college professors report doing above average work. People think they are at lower risk than their peers for heart attacks, cancer, and even food-related illnesses such as salmonella.”

Many people clearly have an inflated view of them­selves and their capabilities. Many of us simply don’t hold ourselves to a higher expecta­tion. Because of this, much of our work ethic has eroded, and our ability and skill levels have suffered. Accountability is the acknowledgment and assump­tion of responsibility for actions and outcomes. Simply put, doing what needs to be done on a daily basis.

In choosing accountability, there are 2 essentials:

  1. IDENTIFY WHAT IS IMPORTANT: You literally cannot be everything to everyone so you must identify what is MOST important. I strongly suggest reading chapter 3 (Set Product and Emphasize Product Goals) in Executive Toughness to find clarity on what is most important to you.
  2. TAKE ACTION: You must make decisions and act. Know this in advance; you will make mistakes; however, mistakes of action are completely acceptable. It is the mistake of in-action that we need to learn to overcome. When you do come up short, say the following to yourself and to whomever you have let down: “I’m sorry. There is no excuse. It won’t happen again”.

 

Accountability is obviously much easier said than done; however, it isn’t complicated. It is knowing and doing what needs to be done everyday. When this happens, you will never again be average. You will separate yourself from the pack and put yourself in a position of continual success and improvement.

To see what can happen when a group of individuals becomes accountable please watch the 4:01 video found at the link…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3HN5y1Dz-U.