The importance of accountability is proven in corporate situations where the C.E.O.s  are held accountable by a Board of Directors. They have to report to that board on a quarterly or annual basis, and if benchmarks previously set are not achieved – those C.E.O.s must answer for themselves and their actions.

The same holds true for business owners running a small company full of employees, or solopreneurs running a one-person business. There are always key activities that MUST be completed, and tasks that are of necessary (or vital) importance to the success of the company. Knowing that these important responsibilities must be addressed and resolved on a regular basis, the misconception is that we don’t need anyone to hold us accountable for these actions.

If you’ve been a student of human behavior (including your own) for even a brief period of time, you’ve seen that we’re great at offering up excuses, reasons and explanations as to why we didn’t get an important task – or set of tasks – completed or in a timely fashion.

For an entrepreneur or business professional, this often includes incredibly important activities such as:

• Completing a business plan
• Defining sales goals
• Reaching out to key contacts
• Identifying problem areas
• Following through on marketing/advertising activities
• Completing a particular project

It is evident everywhere that the vast majority of the human population needs structured assistance with hitting the goals that are most important. This is often the case in weight loss, where men and women pay the services of companies such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers to help them stay accountable to their desired goal.

Most people have the same experience with fitness goals. Statistics show the vast majority of individuals who sign new memberships for workout facilities, such as 24 Hour Fitness or Bally Total Fitness, rarely follow through with their fitness regimen that they themselves setup. But when the aid, assistance and accountability of a fitness trainer is acquired, the results DRAMATICALLY increase.

The same is true for very serious situations such as drug or alcohol addictions. Those that have dealt with this disease have sought assistance and received structured accountability and help through associations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

The very reason these organizations thrive is because of the nature of their solution –to provide a structured accountability approach as a positive reinforcement to counteract our “I’ll get around to it” nature.

So where would your business or life be if you were hitting all your benchmarks and progressively achieving the goals you set for yourself?

The key to long term success is for you to dedicate yourself to continuous improvement. If you become one tenth of one percent more productive each day, that amounts to 1/1000th improvement per working day. Is that possible? Of course it is!

Look at this example for doubling your productivity:

If you become accountable for one tenth of one percent more productive each day, that amounts to one half of one percent more productive each week. One half of one percent more productive each week amounts to two percent more productive each month, and 26% more productive each year.

Twenty-six percent more productive each year, with compounding, amounts to doubling your overall productivity and performance every 2.7 years. If you become 26% more productive each year, with compounding, times 10 years, you will be 1004% more productive over the next decade. That is an increase of ten times over ten years.

This is called the Law of Accumulation, or the Principle of Incremental Improvement. It is the primary reason for all great success stories. By the yard, it’s hard. But inch by inch, anything’s a cinch!

So what is it worth to YOU to have your goals met, your benchmarks achieved and continual improvement realized? If it is of utmost importance to you, then do something about it today!

If you are interested in an accountability program, and want more information about how an Executive and Life Coach can help you fast-track your goals, feel free to give me a call at 404-551-3601 or email me at kris@begintoshift.com to set up a complimentary meeting.

Don’t let ANOTHER year go by frustrated by the fact you are basically in the same situation you were the previous year. Do what the Top 10% of the world’s most successful individuals have done, and leverage the system of accountability to blaze past your competition! Your mental state and your bank account will thank you for it.

About Kris Cavanaugh and Shift Inc:

Kris Cavanaugh is a speaker, author, and coach who specializes in helping others produce more consistent results and increase their effectiveness through cultivating a C.E.O. mindset in every area of their life so their businesses, careers, and personal lives thrive.  If you have a desire to live your life “on purpose” so you wake up every day excited about the possibilities and maintain an unwavering belief that you will overcome any obstacles to achieve your personal and professional goals more easily and consistently, Kris would be a wonderful resource for you to connect with to make that happen.  Kris’ website is www.BeginToShift.com. To learn more about how to become successful C.E.O. of your life, go to http://www.StuckToCEO.com. 

The new client nation is no longer bound by brand, rather a perceived value, solution or benefit that your product or services offers them “AT THAT MOMENT”. This translates to business owners, and those who make a living from someone buying something from them. That listening to the client who is saying “get to know me, my pain, my needs, my wants and how to simply and clearly describe it in a way I see how it helps me” is the love language of buying.  It is about the client’s point of view and their perceived value not what your brand used to mean or what you have accomplished. That will grab their attention in 2012.

Today you are seeing it in many large brands, they are scrambling to reconnect with a specific target base and create an organic village that is not just dependent on their product or service, but it is a symbol of individuality and expression while at the same time accepted by the niche aspect of society. No one does this better than Apple. Apple is no longer a brand; it is status symbol, a way of life, a part of which most people can no longer live without. Just stop and look around in a mall or restaurant. What you may see is most heads looking down and most conversations occurring digitally.  Brand loyalty as it once was is no longer the driving factor to buy from generation to generation; the client nation has made that decision clear. They have decided to give their loyalty to value versus a brand. The only choice for most businesses is to adapt or die.

According to Colloquy, the economic outlook may have translated to an obsession with discounts at the expense of brand loyalty. Indeed, according to October analysis from comScore, consumers are increasingly switching brands when another “peer” brand is on sale, with 38% of consumers in 2011 saying they did this compared to 33% in 2008. Consumers’ loss of spending power also appears to be leading them more frequently to cheaper products: about 19% of consumers switched to Private Label in 2011, up from 14% in 2008.

According to the same study, only 17% of US respondents strongly agree that they are confident that their or their families’ economic prospects will improve over the next 10 years. Consumers also show a preference for bargain hunting and avoiding credit purchases they cannot afford.

As we approach 2012, do you have a game plan to adapt to this new mindset?,

• Can you identify the “niche that will make you rich” and how to connect with it? 
• How will you fit into the client nation’s new mindset and currency?
• How will you define the intimate points that lock in client loyalty?

Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions, I propose instead of making a resolution you create a plan that answers those questions and ensures your success. The first objective is getting to know your client’s better followed by how to deliver exceptional service that goes beyond their expectation of excellence. Only then will your “intimacy” currency begin to pile up followed by your profit. Your profits are hidden in your client’s perception.

About Rico Pena and Sensational You:

My name is Rico Pena and in my 25 years of business experience I would not have been able to accomplish my business successes without mentors, guidance, and education. This is the foundation of our business. To me the greatest form of accomplishment is the one in which you can share and help others find their passion and help them succeed with it. I stand side by side with each and every client, and through results driven training we improve their business clarity and communication skills that empowers them to exceed their vision of success. I look forward to serving you and proving you with the tools and skills to empower your business to succeed in any market place.

Your gauges are fine; your tank is full of gas, so why aren’t you moving forward?

Oh, now you see – you’re stuck in Neutral, and the car must be in Drive in order to move ahead. (Don’t feel bad – many people are stuck in Neutral and can’t figure out why they’re not moving forward.)

This may happen every once in a while in a car, but it happens all the time in business and life! (Don’t let this be you.)

What does it mean to be “stuck in neutral” in life? Well, here are a few signals…

• you’re “active” in your life or business, but not getting anywhere
• you’re about at the same place in your life or business as you were last year (or worse)
• your goals aren’t getting achieved
• your results for the vision for your life or business is consistently falling short
• your “important project” is still undone

Does this sound familiar, or similar to a situation close to you?

This is often the case for many individuals, and is very common even among busy, hard-working professional individuals – even you. It’s no wonder many of us get “stuck”. People can easily get stuck because of growing workloads, stresses at home, demands from the business or career, distractions from the barrage of emails, phone calls, etc. that can cause paralysis of analysis.

But that’s only part of the problem…

Many people have symptoms of being “stuck in Neutral” like the above, but don’t make the shift to do anything about it (similar to a medical condition, diagnosis is half the solution. The other half is properly treating the issue!).

So what is a proper set of steps to take to get from “N” to “D” and get on the road to where you want to be? Here are some successful strategies that my clients have taken under advisement to make the shift into “Drive”.

1. Assess your current situation
2. From the assessment, see what you are stuck on
3. Determine what you’re willing to do or give up in order to make it happen
4. Establish your game plan in steps
5. Prioritize your action activities for each step
6. Have accountability in place along the way
7. Take consistent and persistent action EVERY DAY

There’s no silver bullet to getting “unstuck”, but there is a simple solution and you CAN do it! I have experienced the busiest, most unorganized people get from “unstuck” into “Drive” and begin moving progressively forward toward the goals and achievements that were important to them – so can you.

“No man is an island” and success in this area escapes those who try to go at it alone, so get direction, accountability, support, tools, advice, etc. from someone you feel comfortable with. Your life on this planet is so short, and not only should you achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself for YOUR benefit, but oftentimes there are other people counting on you as well! This could be your spouse, your children, your staff, your boss, etc.

Next time you’re in the car, and you make the shift from “N” (Neutral) to “D” (Drive), think about your own life and what areas you’re not moving forward.

About Kris Cavanaugh and Shift Inc:

Kris Cavanaugh is a speaker, author, and coach who specializes in helping others produce more consistent results and increase their effectiveness through cultivating a C.E.O. mindset in every area of their life so their businesses, careers, and personal lives thrive.  If you have a desire to live your life “on purpose” so you wake up every day excited about the possibilities and maintain an unwavering belief that you will overcome any obstacles to achieve your personal and professional goals more easily and consistently, Kris would be a wonderful resource for you to connect with to make that happen.  Kris’ website is www.BeginToShift.com. To learn more about how to become successful C.E.O. of your life, go to http://www.StuckToCEO.com.