Accountability Class

Accountability: anything or anyone that helps you gain mental leverage to achieve the results you desire. —The Accountability Stop

I decided, about a decade ago, that I was born to be a writer. Naturally, I started a blog—a bad habit of mine—and signed up for a short story writing class. 

I loved the class. We wrote short stories during class as exercises and wrote homework assignments on our own between classes. Afterwards, the instructor asked another participant and me to join her private writers workshop.

Adult Education

Needless to say, I am not a professional writer. I don’t recall ever submitting anything I wrote to any publication at all. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the courses and workshops. I have taken several classes and worked with coaches since then for multiple topics and interests.

• I’ve worked with a personal trainer.
• I took a music composition class, then worked privately with the instructor for a time.
• I completed the altMBA course that Seth Godin created.
• I took evening music classes at a local college.

Accountability Class

Coaches and courses are effective because they layer several types of accountability together.

• We have a regularly scheduled time to meet.
• The coach and other participants are expecting us to make progress on our projects. It is a built-in accountability-buddy system. 
• We pay money for them. Things that we pay for are more likely to keep our attention.

Beyond Accountability

Teachers and coaches bring more than just accountability to the table.

• They have done the work we’re doing. They’ve been there. We get to benefit from the wisdom of their past successes and mistakes.
• Teachers and coaches usually have a plan or a toolbox of techniques. When we get stuck on our projects or goals, we may feel lost on how to get unstuck. Coaches and teachers have ideas we can try.
• They are often good listeners. Sometimes working through resistance just means calling it out explicitly and understanding what exactly is in our way. Just talking things through with a coach can help break up a mental logjam. 

Keep Your Eyes Open

Let’s also be honest, though. The internet is filled with a Wild West of start-up courses that haven’t been tested and coaches with only a few months of experience. Make sure to research the person or organization you plan to hire. The more significant the investment, the more we want to be sure the coach or course will provide the results we’re after. 

Also, don’t be afraid to do some interviewing! Our personality may click with one coach but not with another. Talking with several allows us a chance to understand what kind of personality would be helpful for our work.

I’ve found that hiring a coach and taking a course are great ways to push my projects forward and get results. When you have a focused goal that aligns with a specific course or the offerings of a specific coach, they are valuable resources for accountability.

What’s Your Account?

Have you taken a course or worked with a coach? What was your experience?