Accountabili-buddies: Creating a Peer-to-Peer Goalkeeping Group
The power of positive peer pressure.
I was introduced to the idea of an accountability group while attending my entrepreneurship fraternity’s Town Hall, a space where members impart feedback and ideas to better the organization. Accountability was actually attempted in the past, a program intended to uphold the mission of “transforming individuals into starters who follow their passions, developing lasting meaningful relationships, and creating value through innovative pursuits.” Adapted from the concept of mastermind groups, Sigma Eta Pi (SEP) Accountability was meant to not only keep each other liable for pursuing their own passion projects but also to educate the active body on good goal-setting and self-discipline. However, the vision fell short and the program quickly discontinued after a few months.
It was time for an Accountability Revamp.
One of my close friends in the fraternity reached out and spoke to the original founder of SEP Accountability and shared the insight he gained. Excitedly, I offered to help flesh out plans for running a revamp for Spring 2019. I constantly look for ways to improve myself mentally, professionally, emotionally, and socially — this group seemed to just fit my needs.
We began to brainstorm, listing why we believe the program failed in its first try and how we could set rules in place to avoid them in the revamp. We concluded that members’ goals weren’t as important as other aspects of their lives, leading to group apathy, bad goal setting, and/or poor implementation.
So, we decided on a long google form with lengthy questions to help dig for the most meaningful goals and to ensure applicants would be committed to the program. We rid the barrier to only focus on professional related pursuits. And we prompted the why by asking rooted questions that encouraged reflection about abstract purposes to improve, rather than just the action or implementation, i.e. do you want to work out to look better or to be healthier and happier? Is that the best way of doing so?
Applicants had to agree to front $70 at the start of the program, which would be returned in full given that you and your partner accomplish your respective goals and attend each bi-weekly meeting. The more that some people fail to meet the attendance or goal requirements, the more valuable the organization becomes to everyone else, as the extra money goes to better the experience for those who do meet those goals (i.e. snacks, celebratory dinner).
By the start of Spring Quarter, we had 8 members, each of us with diverse goals — from starting a small e-commerce business to meditating daily to learning about American and Indian politics — aiming to hit at various parts of personal development (professional growth, self-discipline, intellectual curiosity).
Through trial and error, we found we could best ensure people meet their goals through…
- Deep dives: choosing one member at random and interrogating them about what they were supposed to achieve by that meeting. Have them pull out evidence.
- “Punishments”: while everyone else shares their progress in small groups, those who did not complete their goal were forced to do punishments created by the co-leads. These were pretty entertaining — having to sing an explanation for not meeting their promise accompanied by the member whose goal was learning guitar or going on a mini scavenger hunt in UCLA’s sculpture garden to find that the “clue” was just a folded piece of paper which read “if you keep missing the train, did you even want to get on it in the first place?”
- Accountabili-b*tches: people who didn’t meet their weekly goals were also designated accountabili-b*tches. Until the next bi-weekly meeting, they had to check up on every other member and update the google sheets we used to keep track of the goals and corresponding money losses.
The meetings have been a highlight of my quarter. Each at a different location in Westwood/UCLA campus, sessions composed of 8 of us sitting on the grass, discussing topics like correct goal-setting, our ideal lives, and effective altruism. Evenings in spring become especially magical with good conversation, meditation sessions, and realization of continual progress.
By the end of it, we were able to have a greater understanding of the different ways we motivate ourselves, how we could maximize focus and purposeful action in our lives, and how to plan and run meetings efficiently. We celebrated a member receiving an internship and another a full-time job after they fulfilled their goals of applying and interviewing relentlessly. Perhaps even more gratifying, we witnessed a member find more direction in what type of work gives him happiness — resulting in a switch in major and exploration of a new career. And I was able to see the hours devoted to my personal website and Creative Labs project, both of which exposed me to new skills and meaningful experiences, come together as the quarter drew to a close. On the quarter system, it’s difficult to try to allocate time within 10-week window while balancing exams and other commitments, but had it not been for this group, I wouldn’t have achieved or even tried to begin the projects which have just wrapped up. There still are many improvements that can be made to the program, but I’m happy to have re-established the “go-getter” culture and I look forward to continuing leading accountability in the future.
The first interaction I had with SEP before joining was a short conversation at the Enormous Activity Fair at the start of the Fall 2018 quarter. I described my interest in the fraternity’s values, particularly chasing passion and carving one’s own path, as well as the realization that I actually didn’t love the career path I worked so hard to pursue my first year of college. The response:
“You just repeated the exact pitch we give everyone…some love their majors, but many others pursue meaningful side-projects outside their studies.”
How cool, I thought.
Less than a year later, I’ve gone from complacency to grappling the balance between self-care and productivity to finally pursuing side projects I care about. I definitely would not have achieved this much had I not been pushed by Accountabili-buddies. I’m excited to see how this program can grow in the coming years and what other things we’ll accomplish.
Signing off,
Alexandra
