Accountability Group: Everything You Need to Know

Are you looking for an accountability group? Do you need a push to set and reach smart goals? Do you find it easier to achieve goals when held accountable? Is procrastination holding you back? Are you looking for a group that supports goal setting, growth, and success? Are you looking for a peer-to-peer accountability group? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have come to the right place.

My name is Sean Galla. I am a men’s support group facilitator with more than 10 years of experience. Part of my facilitating journey has been overseeing accountability groups, especially for men. I have seen firsthand the benefits of being part of a support group that pushed you to become the best version of yourself in my years of work. If you are looking for career advancement support, business mentorship, or general self-improvement, joining an accountability group may be the best decision you make today.

This article will learn everything you want to know about accountability groups and how they can enrich your life.

What Is an Accountability Group?

Do you have a to-do list of big goals that keeps growing despite your greatest efforts to get things done before the next year? If you find it hard to set goals and achieve them, an accountability group may help.

Accountability plays a critical role when it comes to setting goals and meeting them. According to the American society of training and development, 65% of people are more likely to set and reach different goals when they share the idea with someone else. These numbers go up to 95% when someone shares their goals and aspirations with a group that holds them accountable and meets regularly to review their progress.

An accountability group is a supportive community of like-minded people who set goals and hold one another accountable for their progress, actions, and reaching the set goals. Accountability groups comprise people who come together to talk about what they wish to change in their lives and find a way to make these changes. An accountability group holds the members accountable by setting goals based on their habits and what they want to change.

Accountability groups are much more than just checking off a to-do list. They are about members helping one another stay on task and meet their goals. Every member of the group is expected to report their progress at an agreed time. Accountability groups meet weekly, biweekly, or monthly in-person or virtually.

Accountability groups can be formed for any purpose. You can form an accountability group for entrepreneurship, business, leadership, health and fitness, and even spirituality.

How Accountability Groups Work

Accountability groups offer a blend of education, brainstorming, support, and peer accountability in a group setup. Members of an accountability group get a platform to sharpen their personal and business skills. Through an accountability group, you and other members can experience exponential growth and success in different areas of your lives. Members hold each other accountable by challenging each other to set goals and accomplish them.  

Accountability groups are started and run by facilitators who help structure the group and ensure it meets its purpose. The facilitator is a critical component in the success of any accountability group. The facilitator ensures the group has the necessary information and resources to start meaningful conversations and discussions to help the members achieve success.

An accountability group process involves creating goals and designing plans to achieve the goal. These groups help members with creative ideas about business, entrepreneurship, and effective decision-making skills.

As the members implement their plans, they must share their success stories, setbacks, and issues with the group. The members celebrate each other’s success and help solve the problems experienced in their individual journeys.

An agenda guide each group meeting to ensure the conversations remain on course. The facilitator works to ensure the discussions are balanced and helpful without deviating from the group’s purpose.

For an accountability group to work, it requires confidentiality, honesty, respect, mutually beneficial support, compassion, and the members’ willingness to give and receive advice and ideas. With the right accountability group, the members act as a catalyst for growth. Accountability groups are built on this basis.

The Benefits of Joining an Accountability Group

There are numerous benefits associated with being part of an accountability group.

It fosters accountability.

The first and most important benefit of joining an accountability group is finally becoming accountable for your deeds and meeting your goals.

Rarely will one succeed when they are not held accountable. An accountability group acts as a support group where members report their progress and get help whenever they are stuck. Knowing you need to face your group and update them on your progress in the hot seat motivates you to get things done and have something to report to your group members.

Being part of an accountability group can be the best way to get things done if you procrastinate.

You get access to a trusted board of advisors.

Whenever you go through a problem in your life, business, career, or entrepreneurship journey, one of the things that can be helpful is being part of a tight-knit group of friends made up of the best minds. When you are part of an accountability group, you are surrounded by people who have walked your path or have the experience to offer trusted guidance. In accountability groups, you enjoy access to a trusted board of advisors who want to ensure you build your confidence in everything you do.

Accountability groups offer wisdom.

While you can get advice from your friends, a spouse, local community, or family, the fact that they have never been in your position makes them less qualified to offer helpful advice.

An accountability group comprises like-minded people going through similar issues, and some have overcome the hurdles you are experiencing. This makes them experienced and more understanding of your needs. The advice you get from fellow group members can be relied on and used to achieve personal growth.

You experience exponential growth.

Because you are tapping into different talents, minds, and networks, getting advice from different people, and being held accountable, being part of an accountability group is an easier way of experiencing exponential growth. Because of this trusted board of advisors, you have access to infinite wisdom from experienced individuals. This can go a long way in helping you achieve your goal faster.

You get to network with the right people.

It is often said that you are the sum average of the people you spend most of your time with. Even with the best dreams, goals, and plans, you can fail in your endeavors if you fail to surround yourself with the right people. If you want to be successful, you need to surround yourself with successful people. In an accountability group, you get to widen your circles and network with fellows dedicated to growth and success.

Types of Accountability Groups

General accountability groups

A general accountability group is a small group that is mostly focused on helping members make commitments while using social accountability to ensure they remain consistent in their commitment. Members of this type of accountability group meet regularly to report on their progress and discuss their goals.

Before the end of every meeting, members are encouraged to set short-term goals that they can achieve before the next meeting. These short-term goals should be tied to a long-term, bigger plan that they want to accomplish over time.

Mastermind groups

Mastermind groups are becoming increasingly popular in the recent past, especially amongst business owners and entrepreneurs. Initially coined by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, it was the writer’s firm belief that the success of any individual is attached to their ability to rely on a group of trusted advisors. These advisors create a group where they bring in their diverse perspectives to come up with a ‘master mind’ that can be more powerful and intuitive than the mind of one individual.

The strength of a mastermind group relies greatly on group feedback. Apart from leveraging accountability, members of a mastermind group also have to share their perspectives to constructively criticize the members’ actions and goals. This kind of group input and brainstorming has been proven to help members overcome obstacles and address different concerns throughout their progress.

Online Accountability Groups vs. In-Person Accountability Groups

One of the benefits of joining an accountability group is to expand your networks. While in-person meetings work, you can further expand your network by joining an online-based group like a men’s group.  

Whether you live in New York or rural Wisconsin, an online-based accountability group can connect you to people from different parts of the world. This expands your networks and improves your chances of getting better advice, support, and guidance.

It is important to join an accountability group with an online platform to ensure you do not limit your connections to the people in your locality. Online accountability groups offer flexibility, which increases the commitment of the members. It eliminates the need to find a physical place to meet as members can meet online through forums and channels like zoom, google hangouts, Skype, or social media.

With online-based accountability groups:

• Members will always be on time for the meetings
• You can join from wherever, even while on the road
• You eliminate the need to drive down to the venue, which saves time
• The sessions can be recorded for future reference.

The Requirements to Join an Accountability Group

Different accountability groups come with different requirements and qualification criteria. It is possible to start your own accountability group to attract people you feel relate to the type of support you need.

Some organizations like Junto, the 10x ambition program, the C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, and the Inklings mastermind group and podcast, third mind, and platinum mastermind may require members to register, while some interview members before admission.   

To become a possible candidate for an accountability group, you must:

• Have the courage to ask for help
• Have the humility to accept help
• Have the discipline to show up act on the help

Beyond these needs, your career background, leadership level, and industry can also influence your qualification.

How to Create a Successful Accountability Group

For an accountability group to work for you, it needs to meet a few fundamental guidelines.

Choose members you can trust

Contrary to popular opinion, the members of your accountability group should not necessarily be your friends. To ensure you find the best group for your needs, you need to find one careering to your needs. This makes it easier for you to trust the members since you are all trying to overcome the same issues.

An accountability group should be a safe space for you to share, learn and grow without fear of being shamed for your actions.

Find an ideal facilitator

The best accountability group should have a leader or facilitator. This should be someone with experience leading support groups to ensure members get the most from the group. While an experienced facilitator is recommended, a group can also succeed without one. Members can choose the person they want to lead the meetings.

A good leader creates questions and guidelines for each meeting to ensure the group sticks to its mandate and helping the members to reach their goals.

Stay organized

The leader of the group is tasked with creating a system that will keep the members on track. Ensure group communication is documented to avoid miscommunication. It also helps to be firm on the need to achieve weekly goals for the members. Part of ensuring an accountability group is successful is ensuring you are on the same page at all times.

How to Find the Best Accountability Group to Join

If you are ready to take the next step, there are many accountability groups out there. Trial and error might be one of the best ways to find the right group that you are looking for.

You can also consider starting with having an accountability partner if you are nervous about joining a group. If you are nervous about in-person meetings, you can join online accountability groups like Mensgroup.com. All meetings occur virtually, and you do not have to use your real name or join on video if you are not comfortable. Online groups encourage anonymity while ensuring you still get the help you need to start getting more done.

Information about Men’s Group accountability group

As one of the most active online men’s groups, Men’s Group is a platinum accountability group that works to ensure its members have a free space to share and learn in a fun environment, even as they make new friends.

In this online-mediated accountability platform, you will meet men who have previously walked in your shoes and have managed to experience personal development and find their definite purpose through mentorship from a mastermind group. If you are a man looking to get to the next level of your success, Men’s Group is the right accountability group choice for you.

Conclusion

The success of an accountability group lies in the members’ ability to support and help each other through collective experiences. Influential leaders guide members as a way of assisting them to overcome their hurdles and achieve success. Being part of the right accountability group like Men’s Group gives you a rare opportunity to network and enjoy personalized help from the industry’s best players.

*Sources:
1. How to Find or Start an Accountability Group
2. How an Accountability Group is Key to Reaching Stretch Goals
3. How to Set Up an Accountability Group and Get Serious Results
4. Accountability groups: a great way to stay on track
5. Men’s accountability groups have impact