Want to get shit done in the year ahead? You need accountability

Have you got big dreams for the year ahead? Whether it’s scaling your business, finally launching that passion project, or carving out more personal time while still crushing your professional goals, you can absolutely make that happen next year.

But let’s be real – just because you have the best of intentions doesn’t mean you’ll magically achieve them.

The truth is, most of us start the year with a bang – full of motivation and plans to change the world – but by February, those goals have fizzled out, buried under a mountain of daily demands.

It’s not that we lack ambition or drive; often, we lack one crucial element: accountability.

Why accountability is the secret ingredient to success

There’s a reason why personal trainers, executive coaches, and business strategists like me exist – we provide the accountability needed for our clients to stay on track. I’ve seen this first-hand with the women I support. Big ideas that my clients have been sitting on for months (sometimes years!) were brought to life because they had someone to hold them to account.

When you’re accountable to someone (or a group of someone’s), you’re far more likely to follow through. Why? Because when you’ve got skin in the game and people invested in your success, it’s harder to make excuses and let things slide.

Accountability isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress

Many of us fall into the trap of perfectionism — we don’t act unless we’re absolutely certain we’ll succeed. But accountability isn’t about being perfect. It’s about taking consistent, imperfect action and making progress along the way.

When you have someone checking in on you, encouraging you (sometimes with a dose of tough love), it keeps you moving forward. That’s what my accountability circles are all about: providing the support female founders need to take big leaps in their businesses — even when it feels hard or scary.

One of my accountability circle members, Jane, had been trying to launch an online education platform for her clients for over a year but was caught in the endless loop of tweaking and overthinking. After joining the program, she committed to a launch date with the group’s support. Knowing she had to report back to us on her progress pushed her to take action. The course went live and, while it wasn’t perfect, it was out there— and it generated her first $5000 in this new revenue stream.

The power of sharing your goals with people that ‘get you’

The entrepreneurial world is lonely. You’re making big decisions, juggling all of your responsibilities and often it feels like no one understands the pressure you’re under. This is why having a group of like-minded women to lean on can be transformative.

In my accountability circles, women from different industries and backgrounds come together to share their struggles and successes. The diversity of perspectives means you’re not just getting pats on the back — you’re receiving insights, feedback, and creative solutions that you may never have thought of on your own.

And let’s face it, we’re all better at showing up for others than we are for ourselves. That’s why being part of a community with built-in accountability is so powerful. You’re not just doing it for you; you’re doing it because you don’t want to let your tribe down.

One of the most inspiring examples I’ve seen is from one of our members who had been struggling to scale her company beyond her first six-figures. She felt like everything she was doing missed the mark and was at that “should I just throw this in and get a real job?” point (we’ve all been there, right?). With the encouragement of her circle, she not only refined her strategy but received invaluable support that kept her grounded and focused. By year-end, she had doubled her client base and abandoned plans to throw it all in.

How to build accountability into your strategy

Here are some ways to inject accountability into your life:

1. Find an accountability partner: This could be a friend, a fellow business owner, or even a colleague. Agree to check in with each other weekly or monthly on your goals.
2. Join a mastermind or business group: These groups often include accountability components, where members support each other and share progress.
3. Leverage technology: There’s an app for everything these days so why not install your own accountability buddy? I used tools like Asana and my Google Calendar to keep me on track so that I don’t have to rely on self motivation.
4. Schedule regular review sessions: Whether it’s a monthly reflection or quarterly strategy day, put time on your calendar to check in on your progress and recalibrate if needed.

So, are you ready to get shit done in the coming year?

If you’re serious about making next year your best year yet, it’s time to get real about accountability. Because let’s face it, good intentions will only get you so far.

Whether it’s joining an accountability circle or creating a support system of your own, having people to answer to will push you beyond what you thought possible.