Best-selling author Bob Proctor once said, “Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result.” Ask any successful real estate agent how they achieved their level of success, and they will tell you that they didn’t get where they are without accountability. On the 100th episode of The Walkthrough, we asked 11 of the top real estate agents and coaches in the country how they hold themselves and their teams accountable in order to achieve sustainable business success. While each agent views accountability differently, they all agree that it is not an option if you want to see profitability in your business. Here are five ways you can make accountability work for you. Accountability isn’t only about having others push you toward your goals. It also involves your personal desire to pull yourself wherever you desire to go. Longtime Keller Williams coach Jordan Freed says, “if you’re asking someone to give you a high level of accountability, you’re not so in love with your vision that you’re being pulled.” Real accountability comes from within. For top agent and team leader Jordan Davis in Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, accountability is the key to creating financial stability and building a long-term real estate career. In order to maintain a sustainable income, you must exercise accountability before it’s too late and you’re forced to find another career. “To me, accountability with our organization is about me loving somebody enough to hold them accountable before their bank account does. And by being willing to have the hard conversations with somebody and letting them know what’s ahead for them, I can prevent them from going down that avenue and help keep them in this business, “ said Davis. Dr. Carlton Bell, a coach in the Tom Ferry system, strongly believes there is strength in numbers. He recommends having other people help hold you accountable by making your daily calls and reviewing your wins and losses in a group setting. That’s where accountability happens. “If I try to hold myself accountable”, says Dr. Bell, “then what happens on those days when I just don’t feel like doing it? It’s what I always refer to when people say, ‘Well, I want you to hold me accountable.’ I can hold you accountable, but do you have the mental toughness to handle it? I can hold you accountable all day long, but if I’m not engaging you in your accountability – meaning challenging you on your mental toughness on those days where you don’t perform at the level in which I know you can perform at – then I’m not doing my job when you say to me, ‘I need you to hold me accountable.’” There are numerous ways to create accountability. Elmer Morales, the co-founder of e-Homes in Southern California, says his brokerage does a weekly review of recorded conversations with their agents to improve telephone performance. Shanan Steere, founder of the Shanan Steere Group, displays a scoreboard and utilizes a team planner in her Kansas City office. There are many different ways to create accountability in your real estate business. What’s important is that you try different things until you find out what works best for you. Accountability is as integral to your business as lead generation, marketing, negotiating skills, and lead conversion. As you continue to develop in these areas, accountability should always be at the forefront. The amount of accountability needed depends on the individual. Veteran agent Monique Walker and her team average 15 listings every month by committing to prospect three hours a day for nearly 20 years. She creates accountability through coaching, mastermind groups, and regular conversations with like-minded agents who have surpassed her own level of success. But, she continues to hold herself accountable just as much and tries to create a balanced mindset. “I’ve learned not to take myself too seriously,” says Walker, “I’ve learned to celebrate other people and to get inspired versus to compare, because we know that comparison is the thief of joy. We, naturally, are going to do it. It’s naturally gonna come, but it’s shifting that conversation in your mind to say, ‘Man, that is so awesome…if he/she can do it, I can do it.’” No matter what type of accountability you choose, making the choice to implement some type of accountability into your business is what’s going to make the difference in seeing your business grow from where you are right now to where you aspire to be in the future.1. Find the motivation within yourself
2. Understand the big picture
3. Don’t try to do it alone
4. Choose the accountability tactics that work best for you
5. Keep accountability a part of the foundation of your business
