The greatest gap in life is the one between knowing & doing.

– Dick Biggs

There is a line from a radio commercial for a weight loss clinic that proclaims, ?If you could do it on you own you would have already done it!?

While that may seem obvious on the surface, I would suggest there is deeper truth in this statement.

Each year a score of new diet books appear, teaching the latest techniques for losing weight. The newest health research and the best technologies are just a click away. With all this knowledge, our society should be getting lighter and thinner. Instead, obesity rates are at an all-time high.

Do we need to learn more? No. We know more about health and nutrition than at any other time in history. We don?t need to know more. We need to do more of what we know.

So why don?t we?

The Accountability Factor

It turns out that failed diets and low sales performance share something in common: Lack of accountability.

In the last 13 years, my organization has coached over 5000 sales professionals. Collectively, we?ve assisted them in producing an average 41% increase in production.

The question I get asked most often is, ?What are you teaching them?? My answer is always this: it?s not so much what we are teaching as it is what we are getting them to do.

Why is coaching so effective and one of the fastest growing services in North America? Accountability. The secret to producing results?whether it be losing weight, getting in better shape or selling more?is accountability. It?s doing more of what we already know.

I have a personal trainer that I work out with three times a week. Do I pay him to come to my home because I don?t know how to lift the weight, ride the exercise bike or stretch? No. I have him come over because he creates accountability and gets me to do more of the things I know that I should do. And because I do more of the things I know I should do, I produce my desired results?things like fitting into my clothes, feeling stronger and having higher energy and greater confidence.

The Biggest Loser is successful for this same reason. Take away the accountability?the trainers, the internal competition and the weekly weigh-ins?and nothing changes.

Why does coaching work? Through accountability. Through setting specific goals every Monday, measuring the results every Friday, and having to get on the phone with your coach regularly and report your progress in an environment where excuses are not acceptable.

“The great secret of success isn?t just knowing what to do. It?s doing more of what we know.”

– Richard Robbins

How do have you used accountability in your life to create the results you want? Let us know in the comments. And if you?d like to see how coaching works, try a complimentary coaching session with one of our top coaches. Just email us at [email protected].