DISQUS

Paul Simister · 11 months ago

There is always the wife John.

This is a huge issue but it is the big reason for having a coach as the accountability can be given one-to-one.

Tracking time can be a great habit, if only to show you where it all goes. Especially true if you get involved in the social media sites which can eat up time very quickly.

SEO Software · 11 months ago

Great suggestions John. I have yet to try to coaching route, but have found some good success with a Mastermind group or some kind of advisory board. I think the trick is to formalize *something* so that you can have a regular check-in and measure your progress, results, etc.

John Jantsch · 11 months ago

@SEO Software - I would add that you also need to be ruthless about kicking people out of the group that don't perform or live up to their promises.

Christa Tuttle · 11 months ago

Having a peer advisory board is a great way for business owners to find solutions to problems and learn about new opportunities to help grow their business or improve their services. One group I belong to, which is similar to Vistage, is The Alternative Board (TAB). It is a helpful forum in which I learn from other business owners about mistakes to avoid and best practices to implement, and the group also helps to hold me accountable to achieve my goals.

John SEO · 11 months ago

one in my list is the division of time. Here at my work, though I have a boss, division of time is almost not possible to achieve, you have given lots of work, all are urgent and important. lol

Joseph T. Dager · 11 months ago

I have to agree with Paul, but add, sitting down at the supper table each night is accountability enough for me.

All kidding aside I think the yours and the other ideas are great but a sound business and marketing plan is the accountability that is the most useful. Making a decision when you are focused on an outcome is rahter quite easy. Accountability is needed whaen there is a lack of focus.

Small Business Marketing · 11 months ago

Whatever the scheme that is chosen, it has to be formalized with regular and very formal meetings where you the entrepreneur has to report and defend your positions.

Dmitri Eroshenko · 11 months ago

Awesome, John!

Here's another idea. Why not encourage employees to provide feedback on your performance. Doubles as a team-building exercise.

Meeting rooms · 11 months ago

Great post John . My collegues does help in self assessing my potentials.With regular brainstorm I get to find out what strives my powers.

Eric Curtis · 11 months ago

The real issue is follow through and execution. It is very simply to set goals and objectives to do during the day, week, month, etc, but it is very difficult to finish everything. Two reasons are: We over commit to doing to much because we want to satisfy too many people, when we should be concerned with our reputation which is based on doing and completing what you say you will do. The second thing is that we do not know how to map out a plan of execution based on strategy. It is not difficult and could be for something as simple as completing a specific marketing task or office work.

Stay committed and follow through, it is your reputation on the line!

Eric - http://theoctopussolution.blogspot.com/

Chad Gardner · 11 months ago

I agree with Paul on this one. When I see CEOs using social media, I am blown away with how they are able to create enough time in their day to keep up.

cleaning business · 11 months ago

Hmmm, I like the local mastermind group idea, not centered around being a cleaning business consultant though, but more for a general sense of who I am and what I am doing business wise.

Megan Tsai | Red Wagon Writing · 11 months ago

Great ideas, thanks.

I've decided to adopt the "track time" approach after reading your post. As a freelance copywriter, it will be useful to know how much time goes to billable hours versus marketing and bookkeeping.

Meredith mud Bailey · 11 months ago

How right you are! We have feeling the need for a small business mastermind group for a while now. The irony of it is that because no one is holding me accountable to that, it keeps getting shuffled to the back of the pile. I wonder how much of a priority it should really be

Richard Lockyer · 11 months ago

I agree. I have four mentors, one of them my wife who really keeps my feet on the ground, who i run ideas past when i am thinking about doing something new.
It really helps to consider other peoples opinions.

As a business coach myself it never amazes me how easy it can be to unlock the soulutions to problems that the CEO has been wrestling with for months. To be honest i think most people know the solution but won't admit it because then they have to experience the pain in implementing it!

If you have a coach it is difficult not to front the issue as they are trained to bring it out of you and then you are answerable to them for your agreed actions.

A good coach can save you a lot of money and months of stress but be warned good coaches will 'hold your feet to the flame' but you WILL get great results.

Jen Harris · 11 months ago

I like the idea of assigning a value to the amount of time a certain item takes you during the day.
It's like paying yourself to be more productive in other areas of your life.
Thanks for the article!
-jen

jimmy · 8 months ago

If you have a coach it is difficult not to front the issue as they are trained to bring it out of you and then you are answerable to them for your agreed actions.