“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to result.” — Bob Proctor
One of the biggest factors in reaching — and sustaining — one’s goals is a good support network. We’ve all heard about the buddy system, and yet I’m quite guilty most times of keeping to myself and slogging it out on my own when I could have done myself — and someone else — a tremendous favour by travelling alongside a fellow sojourner to reach for the stars.
That’s because having a Buddy — or an accountability partner, as they’re often called — calls us to both monitor AND report our progress. According to Pearson’s Law, when performance is measured, it improves; when performance is measured and reported, it improves exponentially.
It gets better. The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that publicly committing your goals to someone gives you at least a 65% chance of completing them. However, having a specific accountability partner increases your chance of success to a whopping 95%.
A buddy isn’t quite a cheerleader — although they can certainly provide encouragement. They’re not necessarily mentors too, although they might have great experience and good advice to share. A buddy doesn’t even have to be a friend you’re already close to, just someone you respect and don’t want to let down — just as they don’t want to disappoint you. You don’t even have to be working on the same project. It’s really about checking in with one another, and using those reporting times as your milestone goals to push you along the way.
But of course, having a buddy along to try something new together makes the endeavour just a little less daunting and a lot more fun. In the next few issues, we’ll tease this buddy system out a little more. Meanwhile, start shortlisting your candidates. It’ll be worth that 95% success rate. 😉
