When business owners fail to hold themselves accountable

Business owners labor from one built-in handicap that’s difficult for them to avoid: Accountability!

The reason is that as the owner of your own business, you really aren’t accountable to anybody. Your business lives or dies based on your skill.

But day-by-day… it’s your kingdom! You’re the boss.

As a result, even if you have a clear plan for where you want to go… you may not be executing your plan in a way that will ensure that you reach your objectives.

You want somebody… or something… or both… asking you the tough questions about how you’re progressing with your plan.

If you don’t have that, you may not follow through with it… and your best intentions… and best course of action… could end up hidden in a stack of paper on your desk.

“I’m too busy!”

Have you ever attended a seminar and heard something so profound you knew it could have an immediate and positive impact on your business?

And remarkably… you know it could just take you a few minutes each day… consistently over a few months… and your business could move to the next level?

You say to yourself, “This is really good.  I am going to start this tomorrow…” and drop your plan on the top of your in-basket.

Within about three hours, you have about two inches of paper on top of that profound revelation.

By the next day, you might have four inches of paper on top of it.

By the day after that it has lost its value… consumed in the blizzard of other activities.

Now forgotten.

As a result, you never do anything with it.

Developing and utilizing a system that holds you accountable… and that prevents your best ideas from going to the bottom of the stack… is key to helping you make the big strides… and important milestones that are critical to your short-term goals and your long-term mission.