I found some statistics online about the success rate of goal-setting and accountability systems. The actual quote from the Kansas Association of Colleges and Employers is:

“The probability of completing a goal if:

• You have an idea or a goal: 10%
• You consciously decide you will do it: 25%
• You decide when you will do it: 40%
• You plan how you will do it: 50%
• You commit to someone you will do it: 65%
• You have a specific accountability appointment with a person you’ve committed to: 95%”

Every year in business we ponder our annual goals: revenue; productivity; sales; sales conversion; health; the number of clients; and so on. Being the strategic thinkers that we are, we write our plan down, think it through, calculate and shift how each activity will move us forward toward our vision.  We are excited, energized, and driven….

And then as the year unfolds, we lose momentum and focus.  Those goals we set for ourselves with good intentions fall aside as we retreat back into daily operational issues. And in doing so, we become less excited, energized, and motivated. The result: we only achieve 50% of what we set out to do. 

What would happen if we actually took those goals and strategic objectives one step further and shared them with someone else, particularly someone who would hold you accountable? What if you set your intent more clearly? How would this change your results?

Let’s say the statistics above do hold true. 

• Wouldn’t you rather be 65% successful by just sharing your goals with another person?
• How hard would it be to elevate your success to 95% by being part of an accountability partnership or a mastermind group that meets regularly?

That’s a 30% improvement! All due to setting up a regular accountability meeting, breaking your goals down into chunks, laying out a plan of action, and committing to holding each other accountable. It’s not rocket science. Yet, only a small percentage of leaders set these systems in place. Will you be one?

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Source: http://kaceweb.org/the-power-of-accountability/