(bright upbeat beats) Personal accountability isn't always easy, but without it, you're less likely to achieve your professional goals. Here we'll examine the best ways to create goal accountability, reflect on and revise your plan as needed. You'll also learn how to evaluate your progress effectively. At work, you probably meet the deadlines, your manager sets for tasks and projects. You may even meet them early. You pride yourself on being on time to meetings and responding to questions and concerns in a timely fashion. Yet when it comes to meeting the deadlines you set for yourself, you might disregard or delay them. People tend to give greater priority to the requests and deadlines imposed by others than the ones they impose on themselves. Even to the point of sacrificing their own needs. It can be challenging to balance multiple priorities such as work, family, friends and community. We often place our individual goals at the bottom of the list. While creating accountability, doesn't mean your individual goals should take priority over others. It's important to find room for professional growth and development. The only way that happens, is by holding yourself accountable, to get things done for yourself without foregoing your responsibilities to others. Accountability can have a negative stigma, suggesting fault or judgment, but if embraced as a means to pursue the success, it can build self-esteem and better ownership. Strategies that may assist you in creating goal accountability include, making yourself a priority. You might be uncomfortable putting your goals front and center feeling you're being selfish with respect to your other commitments. If you believe this, it's important to change your mindset. Prioritizing your own goals is essential to your well-being and gaining what you want professionally. Remember that prioritizing your needs isn't selfish, to ease any potential guilt, make a list of reasons why you need to do so and refer to it regularly to keep you motivated. Having loved ones hold you accountable. Informing others about your goals and objectives provides an extra layer of accountability. Make sure to reach out to those you trust and have your best interest in mind. Just like when your manager tells you to complete a task having a loved one remind you to do something for yourself, might be the extra encouragement you need. Share your goals or plan with a coworker and a friend. This can informally build your own accountability team. Consulting a leader or a mentor also increases accountability. A study conducted by Gartner research, found that people who share their goals with someone who keeps them accountable, like a mentor or coach, are 70% more likely to achieve them. While each person is responsible for their own goals and objectives, a mentor or coach can serve as a resource, teacher and friend during the planning process Utilizing accountability tools. Technology provides a variety of tools to assist with maintaining self discipline and accountability. Several websites and mobile applications use creative ways to keep you accountable. For example, there are various applications that let you plan your schedule and log your progress directly from your smartphone. StickK.com links your goal achievements to a financial incentive you set for yourself, while other websites like Coach.me, connect you with a personal coach that matches your goal setting interests. Resources like these can be helpful when it comes to managing your time and tracking progress. Goal accountability is key to the implementation of your plan. Don't hesitate to use available resources to keep you disciplined.