4 tips to drive agency success through accountability

Talent, a good work ethic, sales and business skills are not the only ingredients needed to build a thriving insurance agency. Successful business owners also need to learn how to be accountable and find someone to hold their hand. By this I mean find someone who encourages, mentors, teaches and trains them as well as commiserates with them in their losses and shares in their triumphs.

These are important pieces of the success puzzle, but often not obvious.

So how does a business owner learn to be accountable and how do they find that special someone who can inspire them, teach them, and share in their journey? Consider these four tips your roadmap:

1. Team up with a mentor

I think the most important nonfinancial asset any entrepreneur can have is one or more mentors. A mentor relationship can be formal but is often informal. A great mentor is likely someone who has been on a similar entrepreneurial journey and is willing to share experience, and unlike virtually anyone else, can empathize with the struggles of running a business like yours.

Perhaps the most value a mentor brings to the table comes in the form of accountability.  A good mentor is someone who won’t let you give up, change direction out of frustration or renege on commitments. As entrepreneurs, each of us has been tempted to make poor decisions, often in haste, at one time or another. If you decide to let slide something you committed to, a great mentor will call you out. Often, a mentor’s sound advice and shared insight is enough to encourage a refocus and a renewed dedication to the task at hand.

2. Read books, watch videos and read some more

Another important way to receive the encouragement, inspiration and sometimes chastisement we all need in our journeys is to look to the learnings of those who have gone before us. A great way to do this is to listen to businesspeople you respect and who are willing to be vulnerable about their struggles in speeches, videos and books. Their stories can be encouraging and serve as reminders that others have shared your struggles and thrived in spite of them. Further, their stories can present you with the opportunity to learn strategies you may not have considered to cope with the emotional and motivational challenges of business leadership.

Some may think this reliance on others, through mentorship or motivational reading and listening is a sign of weakness or lack of capability. I see it is applied wisdom and a wise recognition that no one is entirely “self-made.” We all need help at points in our journeys.

3. Attend workshops to sharpen your approach

Another place agents and other entrepreneurs can learn what they need to know as well as find encouragement could be a leadership or educational workshop. Not only can you learn information or develop a skill you need to achieve your goals, but there is an important side benefit that comes with meeting others on similar trajectories. As a frequent participant in meetings and workshops, I have found that it is most often the people in the room, rather than the presenter, who I learn the most from. In particular, I have found their shared experiences of struggle, perseverance and success through trial and error to be motivational and educational.

4. Work with a coach

All of these tactics to increase accountability, capability and motivation allow you to coach yourself more effectively. And self-coaching is without a doubt important to continual performance improvement. But they are no substitute for professional coaching.

I’m struck by the fact that practically every successful athlete I read about has numerous coaches. Some of their coaches are provided by their teams, but the best players often have personal coaches. These coaches are obviously important to the athlete’s success and I find it curious that businesspeople so seldom follow their example. As good as any athlete or entrepreneur is at self-evaluation, a coach brings something you can’t always find on your own — a different perspective.

Years ago, my wife warned me I was going bald. But the face I saw in the mirror every day had a full head of hair. It was only when I saw a photo of me with a group of people with our backs turned to the camera that I realized my wife was right. Her perspective was different. A good coach sees your performance differently, and often less subjectively than you do and can speed up improvement in your performance.

Related: The importance of mentors in the workplace

Entrepreneurs are often highly motivated, courageous and skilled. But we all need help to consistently perform our best. This is where accountability comes in. Those who seek to be a better leader and business owner can find this accountability through mentors, books, workshops and of course professional coaches. Trust these cost-effective tools and resources to bring your agency success.

Tony Caldwell is an author, speaker and mentor who has helped independent agents create more than 250 independent insurance agencies. Learn more by visiting www.tonycaldwell.net or contacting him at tonyc@oneagentsalliance.net.

Opinions expressed here are the author’s own.