I recently attended a quarterly meeting of a business owners’ accountability group that provides me and like-minded industry members with a foundation on which to serve clients better. As a business owner, it’s important that I still have someone to report to, because otherwise, it can all too easy to become complacent.
The truth is that, as proud as I am of the service that Brainlink provides to our clients, we still have faults; I still have faults. By working with a business accountability group, I’m kept honest, which helps to continually boost the quality of our service and grow the Brainlink business.
As a part of my membership in the group, I’m committed to reporting Brainlink’s financials in as fine a detail as possible, and more recently, I committed to increasing Brainlink’s monthly sales by at least $10,000. In short, the other members of the group thought this was a little optimistic, to say the least, and suggested that I adjust my target to something more attainable in their eyes. Instead, I upped the ante with a challenge.
If I hit the target, a member of the group that never wears ties would wear one for their next meeting; if I failed, I would wear my own tie on my forehead for the duration of the next conference. Keep in mind: these conferences gather more than 600 of my peers, and countless industry vendors. As small a thing as wearing a tie on the forehead may seem, this is still the business world.
So what does accountability really look like?
As you can see, I didn’t achieve my goal this time, and so the group held me to my word. We’ve all no doubt known a welsher at some point in our lives; someone who makes a bet, whether trivial or otherwise, but fails to pay up when it really counts, which can be a truly dangerous thing.
That’s why I really value my accountability group; if I weren’t being held to my word, the consequence might not be something as trivial as a head tie. Without real accountability, a business owner could easily pass the buck on financial losses, poor service quality, or worse. I, and by extension, the Brainlink team, know the importance of being held accountable to our words and our actions, even when it’s something as fun (or embarrassing) as wearing a tie on their forehead in public. In the end, accountability like this will only lead to greater success for both Brainlink and our valued clients.
So what about you?
Are you tired of working in a company that shirks responsibility, and passes the buck? Or, alternatively, are you fed up with how your IT provider blames your staff, your technology and your other vendors for service issues when it’s clearly their mistake? Why not work with Brainlink?
Reach out to me right away at (917) 685-7731 or raj@brainlink.com to work with an IT firm that knows the value of accountability.
— Raj