When I thought back on the most growth-full year of my life, one thing kept popping to mind on why it was the most successful of them all. Accountability. The year my friend and I came up with the idea for our Growth Book was the year we did everything we could to be the best accountability partner each other could ask for. So, after thinking it over, I've narrowed down a few great qualities you should be looking for in yours to set you up for the greatest success:
1. Someone with the same values - this one is probably a no brainer for most of you, but it’s easier to keep each other on track spiritually if you have someone that shares your beliefs and convictions. Encouraging each other towards Christ is the goal, and for that you need someone who is on the same page. I found that for the foundational areas like faith and our core convictions it's so important to be in step with your accountability partner but the personal interests type things aren't as important to match up on.
2. Someone you respect - This one is key. The reason I say that is...they are going to be calling you out, checking in, possibly telling you things you don’t want to hear and of course, it’s in the job description “keeping you accountable”. So, you need to value their opinion and have respect for them, otherwise they will end up rubbing you the wrong way and you won’t value their advice or accountability.
3. Someone that takes commitments seriously - The worst thing you can do it start out strong and then let each other fall off the wagon. Don’t get me wrong...there will be times when you fail, because we are human. But, if you have an accountability partner that values commitments, then getting a bit off track won’t derail you both from trying again, and coming up with new strategies and consequences to keep you better on track.
4. Someone that genuinely cares about you - This one is important, because you want someone that wants you to succeed just as much as they would care about succeeding themselves. Someone that isn’t afraid to give you grace with a side of firm conviction because they care about you just that much.
I found that out of all the great qualities I loved in my accountability partner, these 4 were key for why we did so crazy well. So, hopefully, as you continue to blaze new trails into the new year, this will bring someone to mind. God never wants us to walk this path alone - "as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another - Proverbs 27:17"