Holding yourself accountable can be tough. In this article we explore the magic Mastermind Groups.
A lot of people don’t even call them mastermind groups, they call them accountability groups because accountability is so important when it comes to being a business owner, especially for a work-from-home solopreneur.
If you’re someone who works from home, which is what I did the first four years of my business journey, I can tell you right now that accountability is one of the toughest things that you will ever face.
So, all entrepreneurs struggle with this. If you feel like you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Just jump on any entrepreneur Facebook group. A big percentage of the conversation revolves around “not following through” or not being able to “focus on one thing”.
It is one of the biggest issues that we all face, especially in the online world where it’s one exciting opportunity after another.
Here Are 3 Ways To Build Accountability in Mastermind Groups
- Create 30-day challenges. Every month we ask each of our members to verbally commit to something for 30 days. It should be something to create or drop a habit. It can also be a specific goal that is achievable within in a 30 day period. The key is make it specific and measurable. The smaller the chunks the better. Ideally it is something you do every day at a specific time.
- Check in every week. This is key. It’s so easy to forget our challenges within a day or two. Things get busy and life happens, but if you know that you will be held accountable every week then it changes the game. Every week we ask our members if they are on-track or off-track. 80% or better means on-track. Under 80% means off-track. This is powerful accountability.
- Get back on-track. It takes a couple months for everyone to really get in the flow of creating and committing to monthly challenges. Sometimes members get discouraged and embarrassed when they report being off-track. It’s important that this exercise is not meant to shame anyone. It’s meant to help each member get better and predicting what they can realistically accomplish.
When you come to the group every week and you have to say if you’re on-track or off-track with your challenges, chances of you staying on-track are much greater. It’s just the way the human mind works.
Marketing consultant Seth Godin agrees. I heard him make this comment on Brian Clark’s Podcast Unemployable:
“I think the shortest direct thing to do is find three or more people who are smarter than you and generous enough to be in some sort of mastermind group that will hold you accountable. Where you can say out loud your delusions of grandeur and make promises that you intend to keep. Take the time spent doing that. Not finding mentors because I think that’s a bunch of hype, but finding peers who will hold you accountable is the first thing.” – Seth Godin https://unemployable.com/podcast/solopreneur/
What about just writing your goals down?
And I can tell you right now that just writing your goals down is not enough for most people. I’m sure there’s that percentage of entrepreneurs that can write their goals down and nail them every time. But what do you do if that doesn’t work?
I struggle with accountability and I didn’t originally form my mastermind group specifically for accountability. I set it up because I went through a nasty divorce and I wanted some friends. I wanted some business owners to network with and get close with so that I didn’t have this feeling of isolation.
If accountability is an issue for you, if you’re unable to focus, if you’re unable to stick with something or if you’re going in too many directions or you feel overwhelmed or stuck, then I think a structured Mastermind Group is the number one way for you to do this.
Where to go from here…
You can find a local mastermind group, which is great. If you can’t find a local group that is structured and focused on accountability, I want to welcome you to check out our group, the Impact Mastermind Group. I’d love to talk to you. We’ll answer questions and see if we are a good fit for a free trial meeting.
Call 406-493-1881 or schedule a meeting here: https://calendly.com/joeburnich
