Having a coach in your corner is the key to success

With the end of the year approaching, it’s only natural that we’d start talking about setting and reaching goals. But setting a goal is not guarantee you’ll reach it. The reason most of us can’t achieve our goals and succeed at the highest levels is we don’t have a system of accountability.  Without some kind of accountability system in place, your likelihood of success is slim. Last week I talked about having a sales coach to create an environment for success. I am going to share with you what kind of environment I would provide as your coach. But first I want to share a related story about my current journey to health and fitness.

Most people who know me know that I was a collegiate athlete. After graduating, I got really involved in CrossFit. I did it for a few years, and eventually let it slide. Well I’m back, and I have a great a coach to thank for it. I go to Emersion CrossFit here in Bakersfield, and Jennifer runs a tight ship there. Together with a new coach named Mikayla, they are an integral part of my accountability system.

Mikayla is 20 years younger than me, but that doesn’t hold her back. Yesterday, she was in my face yelling at me to finish my work and push myself to the limit on the ‘assault bike.’ If you don’t know what that is, I don’t recommend it. If you do, good for you, and I know you feel my pain. It’s straight up miserable.

As I was riding that bike, I wanted to quit. Matter of fact, I thought I could cut short a few reps or slow my pace and no one would notice. But there was my junior coach, yelling at me at 6:15 in the morning, holding me accountable. “Don’t give up, Anthony. You can finish this, Anthony.” She came over at looked at my fitness trackers to see where I was at, and pushed me even harder. Did I want to tell her to back the heck off? Of course I did. I didn’t want to be held accountable at that moment.

When I was done, I felt incredible. I thanked her for being in my corner and holding me accountable to my goals. That’s what I needed in my fitness journey and it’s what most of us need in our professional life as well. When you have that, you get four things.

Improved Performance

I guarantee when you have a system of accountability, a manager, a coach, a mentor, a group, you will improve your performance. With a system in place, you will not be allowed to quit on yourself or others.

Improved Clarity

accountability gives you improved clarity. You get Crystal clear on what needs to happen in order for you to achieve your goals. Think of your big goal and lay out exactly what you need to do to achieve that goal. In order for me to achieve ABC goal, I must do XYZ. That’s clear statement that you share with the person who’s holding you accountable. That accountability partner will hold you to that clear goal.

Improved Chances of Success

This is the bottom line really. The data out there shows that if you have a system of accountability in place, you are significantly more likely to achieve your goal than if you have no system of accountability. No doubt about it.

Improved Follow Through

The worst thing in goal setting in business goals is you set a goal and you don’t finish the goal. It isn’t that you don’t achieve it. Sometimes you do all you can and you don’t hit a number. But that’s not the same as not following through. When you don’t follow through you give up, and that becomes habitual.

This brings up a new problem. I get it. Accountability sucks. Not going to lie. Having Mikayla yell in my face at 6:15 in the morning was not fun. But if you look at all the systems of accountability you’ve had in your life and be honest with yourself, were you better after you were held accountable? The answer is yes. Some of the best coaches I had in my life in my athletic career were the most challenging. The same is true for my fitness journey and my professional journey. If you have a goal, you need to embrace accountability, embrace difficult times. Embrace the suck because being held accountable means you’re going to be more successful in the long run.

Are you ready for me to hold you accountable? Reach out to me today so we can get started.

https://youtu.be/xkR_qloH3Uk