We’re now in the second week of Month 3 of our “Success in 12 Months” series; our topic for this month is accountability.

Last week, I asked you to write down the names of potential accountability partners. In order for you to do that, you had to determine who would be the best match for you and what it is you’re trying to accomplish (which is the goal you chose in Month 1).

Do you have your list? This week, we’re going to take the next step. Use the info below for each person on your list…

1. My accountability partner is:

2. My reasons for choosing this person as my accountability partner are:

3. I can help him/her by:

4. He/she can help me by:

Pay particular attention to numbers 3 and 4 as you do this exercise for each person you have selected. It is important to realize that a partnership is a two-way street, and as such, partnerships should be about mutual benefit. In the business of life, it has been both my professional and personal experience that we, as people, are all motivated by some form of self-interest (known as the “What’s in it for me?” factor). People don’t do anything unless it benefits them in some way. So think of both the tangible and intangible ways that a partnership with that person will benefit each of you.

In the next installment of this series, you’ll get the next part of this exercise to help you with being accountable. In the meantime, I invite you to share with me your progress throughout your program. Share your thoughts, insights, inspirations and results with me in the comments section below, or you can shoot me an e-mail and let me know what’s going on. Let’s get a conversation started!

Your partner in accountability,

James