The power of accountability
When I get busy and stressed, I have a tendency to isolate, put my head down and push through.
Which is why on Sunday evening – as I thought about the mountain of work and list of looming deadlines awaiting me this week – I considered backing out of the co-working plans I’d made for the next day with 3 brilliant humans (Dev Basu, Chris Taylor and Alyssa Kerbel) at Alyssa's inspiring Kind Human Clubhouse. But my inner voice told me to keep my commitment, and I’m so happy I listened!
In between our solo meetings and laptop time – we each had a 30-minute slot to share with each other key context, an issue or problem we are facing, and a specific request for help.
The day was incredibly meaningful and recharging – and when I got home, with a massive block removed, I was able to show up as a better version of myself to my family, and then effortlessly plow through 6-7 hours of work in a third of the time before bed.
Five key things contributed to the magic and impact for me:
✅ Connection – Deep and vulnerable sharing is an incredible tool for building meaningful connections. It’s hard to describe the depth of closeness that results from jumping straight to the stuff that matters – but I find nothing more heart and mind opening. And other people often mirror parts of ourselves – which is why I’m always amazed at how much everyone benefits from reflecting on and working through somebody else’s challenge.
✅ Fresh Eyes – Each of us comes from different backgrounds and industries, with unique perspective and strengths. The value of a diverse set of fresh eyes cannot be overstated when feeling stuck. As Einstein said: “Problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them.”
✅ Shortcuts – I was amazed at how many times one of us was able to recommend a book, course, expert, digital tool, or other resource that was perfectly suited to a challenge or opportunity someone else was facing. How much time can we save by benefitting from the research, lived experience and iterative journey of someone else – vs. starting from scratch on our own?
✅ Accountability – This week we will each define the one action we want to take to make progress against our goals with a commitment to share progress within two weeks and offer support, as needed. While it’s easy to let a personal commitment slide, I’m far less likely to slip when I’ve committed to three people I deeply respect and who carved out time in their busy lives to show up for me.
✅ Anticipation – We have already agreed to reconvene in December which is motivating on two levels. It gives me something to look forward to during the busiest and most high stress six weeks of my year and it will propel me to make significant progress in my current situation and clearly identify my next challenge before we meet again.
How do you benefit from the wisdom and support of others to make progress against your goals?