Success is your personal responsibility and not an entitlement! You can not assume nor expect that others will ‘do for you’ in the quest for your own personal desires; that only happens for children and not grown adults! Many who have aspirations of achieving success in various aspects of their lives often times fall short.

All too frequently the cause for this can be traced back to a lack of personal accountability for their own efforts. There is no doubt that having goals and objectives is an important step towards improving yourself or your situation. However setting goals while also taking responsibility for your own efforts to achieve them is how to become successful.

When you take personal accountability of your own actions while planning or pursuing anything worthwhile you have taken the first step towards eventually reaching your goals. Just to want something however is not good enough; this desire MUST be reinforced by some type of proactive behavior on your part. Let’s look at 5 ways taking personal accountability influences and determines the level of success you will achieve

Vision

You and only you know what it is that you want and how it will affect your life. The vision needed to put together a realistic plan can only come from within the person who has the desire to make this vision a reality. This is not something you can ‘outsource’ to another since these visions are rooted in your own dreams.

Goals and Objectives

Once you have established your vision you will next need to put together the ’steps’ you will have to take to make this a real part of your life. Your goals and objectives are the actual steps you will need to take to make your vision your reality.

Once again only you are familiar with the ‘full context’ of what your vision really is and what it means to you so only you can establish the ‘unique’ goals needed to achieve this dream. After all your vision is just that, a dream, until you succeed in making it your reality. It is also important that you keep these goals realistic. They must be something you have the necessary skills and resources to accomplish otherwise you will be wasting your time.

Plan

You now must put together a ‘workable’ plan that will be effective in helping you reach your goals. As with every other step that has come before only you know what it is you are capable of regarding your skills, patience, resolve and resources.

Execution

As we spoke of earlier it is not reasonable or realistic to depend upon the efforts of others for you to accomplish your own goals. The plans you have laid out now require your personal involvement. Nobody can breath, walk or talk for you so why would you expect different in the pursuit of YOUR OWN goals? The actions needed to accomplish these goals must be by you and it is up to you to be sure these actions are carried out correctly.

Charting Progress

If some system is not developed or implemented for charting your progress there is no way of determining how far you have gone and how far you have to go. A sense of measurement is necessary to also keep you motivated by reminding you of the progress you have already made. By taking personal responsibility of your own actions in the pursuit of goals and objectives you have set increases your chances of reaching your goals.

Achieving success in any situation is dependent upon the active role you play in both the planning process and by taking the necessary actions. To become successful in any aspect of your life you MUST become actively involved in the 5 step process as we reviewed above. To believe your personal achievements can be realized through the efforts of others is foolhardy and will only set you up for repeated failure and disappointment.

The single most important standard all new businesses must embrace is a culture of integrity. In the age of Enron and Madoff, the American consumer has grown weary of deception and is on higher alert for dishonesty. Perceived misconduct by a business will result in lost customers and a negative reputation that will be difficult to shake. With the proliferation of scammers, con artists, and outright criminals roaming the cubicles of American industry, it is time for business owners to get back to basics. The core of these basics is to develop a culture of integrity that allows your potential customers to rely on your word and commitments, and develop a mutual trust that will allow your business to thrive.

Developing good, mutually beneficial relationships is critical to the success of your business. Dealing with customers, suppliers, and even competitors will be a standard part of your workday, and creating relationships based on trust and mutual respect will matter, especially when you have issues that affect any of those stakeholders.

Throughout the life of your business, mistakes will be made. Some will be completely your fault (or your employees’, which still fall back on you), some will be partly your fault, and some will be not at all your fault, but will still affect your business. Playing blame-opoly is not necessary, but understanding how the error came about is. That way, you can rework procedures or set standards that reduce the chance of that mistake happening again. People tend to be relatively forgiving, as long as you are up front about the situation and offer solutions to whatever went wrong.

When you know something has gone wrong, let the people that are affected know before they find out another way, and be prepared with either an immediate solution or options for them to choose from. Whatever you do, don’t disappear or deny errors. Take responsibility, and any short-term loss you might suffer will be recovered when you retain those customers and suppliers over the long term.

As the leader in your business, the character you display acts as a guidepost for your employees, as well. Develop a culture that encourages honesty, and you will have far fewer employee issues, better relationships with your customers, and more latitude with your suppliers. If you receive any reports of your employees behaving in an unethical or dishonest manner, make it clear to them that integrity is a requirement, not a suggestion. When you come across suppliers or other business associates who are dishonest, find someone else to do business with, if possible. Small indiscretions that go unacknowledged tend to grow into perpetual mistreatment, especially with individuals who believe that lying to cover an error is acceptable.

As you are developing your business idea into a small business and eventually a thriving company, keep in mind the fallout that comes with a culture of deception — everyone in contact with the situation ends up injured. Be alert to the culture you and your employees develop, and ensure that all aspects of your business are handled with integrity.

The rule: Honesty isn’t just the best policy, it’s the only policy!

As a Success Coach I focus on birthing personal and/or professional success. This is so extremely rewarding and exciting but challenging. The challenge lies in the fact that every person is a unique and intriguing blend of experiences, genetics and beliefs. This combination drives one’s perception of reality, emotions and daily choices. These countless variables make it pretty difficult to neatly apply a packaged model for success. Even though I know that “models” or “systems” do sell well and attract clients, I cannot with a straight face and a pure heart promote a surefire model or system that fits all.

Instead, I offer the following success principles or steps which can be embraced and acted upon in any order. By giving you the freedom and the responsibility to co-create your success (assuming you work with a coach or higher power) you will make choices that reflect who you are, what you have done and what you hope to accomplish. Though the following is not a sequential, exhaustive list (I invite you to add more), it is a powerful list because each one has the potential to greatly increase your success.

SUCCESS STRATEGY A:
Define success – both personal and professional.

Be specific with your definition and try to avoid writing things like “I am successful when I am happy” because then you are just going to have to define happy. Or “when I am financially independent” because that begs for real numbers. Try to go with things like: “When my friends call me to celebrate their achievements” or “Each night I go to bed without injuring anyone or asking forgiveness from those I have.” Success is “when my co-workers, direct reports, etc. consistently seek out my thoughts and opinions .”

SUCCESS STRATEGY B:
Do those things that give you great joy.

A good way to begin is to notice what makes you laugh, cry or sends sparks of energy through you. For those are the things that are at the core of your heart. If two people hugging makes you go “awwww,” look for an immediate opportunity to hug someone. If a friend is writing each day because the process gives her joy and you think “I wish I could do that,” then carve out time to write each day even if it’s for five minutes and you don’t know what you’re going to write about or what you’ll do with it. If you have always wanted to ride a horse, start a leadership academy (that’s me), dance crazily, start your own business then talk to someone about it, research it, dream about it, but just pursue it in some small or perhaps a really big way. This removes the tendency to live vicariously through others and propels you into really living the life of your dreams which some may define as success.

SUCCESS STRATEGY C:
Be persistent and patient.

There are countless stories of how persistence has reaped positive results. Anyone with a teen or toddler can attest to that. An attitude like “Failure is not an option” (from Apollo 13 movie) reflects the determination and the authenticity of a desire. Persistent intention and action will then be satisfying and even enjoyable. Read Outliers by Malcom Gladwell for stories about how persistence (and practice) affects success. By practicing patience you will allow all that you have been persistently doing to catch up to you and manifest in the physical world.

SUCCESS STRATEGY D:
Shift from limiting thoughts to liberating perspectives.

I have to admit that when my clients make these kinds of shifts, magic begins to happen. This strategy creates the fastest and most powerful results AND it is so much fun. Doors open, bells go off and laughter often occurs when someone sees potential and freedom in a situation that once had them stuck or slowed down because now it propels them forward. Here is one example of a shift from a client: “My financial situation is hopeless and I have to turn this project I have been working on into an immediate money-making venture” to “I am so excited to write the cooking curriculum that will empower kids to live long and strong.” Feel the shift in energy and movement forward? Liberating perspectives combined with persistent actions resulted in people and events lining up to assist her in achieving success. We now laugh over each “miraculous” thing.

Start you path to success wherever it makes most sense to you. This journey is meant to be filled with joyful acts of creation and creativity which calls upon your unique blend of desires, strengths and gifts. There is no correct starting point; so if you would rather do something you love to do right now rather than define success or shift a limiting thought, go for it. Invent success in the way that is perfect for you.