The best athletes in the world rely on coaches and accountability partners to help them improve their game, reach their potential and play at their best. However, you don’t need to be an all-star athlete to benefit from having another person in your corner who wants to help you succeed.
The most successful real estate agents rely on another business professional, whether it’s a coach, a mentor or coworker, to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses, offer perspective and guidance, and keep them on track to reach their goals. There are many benefits to having a mentor or other accountability partner on your side; here are a few:
1. Stay on track
It’s easy to fall off course on the journey to reaching your goals. Although you might have set ambitious goals in January when you were full of motivation, by midyear, you might be busy or overwhelmed, and maybe you have forgotten all about the goals you set earlier in the year.
Having an accountability partner can prevent this from happening by keeping you motivated with praise and encouragement when you reach each milestone and holding your feet to the fire when you’re beginning to veer off track.
2. Create wins along the way
An accountability partner can help you stay on track to achieve your goals. Additionally, he or she might also help you create smaller milestones to make reaching your goals easier.
And, when it comes time to set new goals for the upcoming year, he or she will review your numbers and talk you through the process of creating challenging goals that will drive your business forward.
3. Be accountable
Because your accountability partner has no personal stake in your success, he or she can be completely impartial and honest with you.
When you commit to doing something, your accountability partner will make sure you get it done, no excuses. Your accountability partner knows the only way to reach your goals is to make sure you do what you say you’re going to, and he or she will ensure you stay committed.
4. Receive unbiased advice
Someone who has faced similar challenges as you before can share his or her experiences and offer excellent advice to help you through your situation. He or she is your sounding board when you need it most and can offer an unbiased and unique perspective to help you approach a problem from another angle.
5. Renew your motivation
Zig Ziglar said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.”
Having a coach, mentor or accountability partner will keep you focused and motivated to reach your goals. He or she will encourage you with words of wisdom and provide support to keep you on the path to success.
Although it’s possible to succeed on your own, the journey to reaching success is easier when you enlist the aid of someone else who can give you the motivation and guidance you need along the way.
The English poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island,” a sentence as relevant today as it was when it was written nearly 400 years ago.
Although you’re the one who’s responsible for your business, having an impartial party provide advice, accountability and motivation when you need it most will help you stay true to what you want to achieve. If you want to go beyond your limit and reach lasting success, get an accountability partner.
Brian Buffini is the Chairman and Founder of Buffini & Company. You can follow Brian and Buffini & Company on Facebook.