Are You Looking for an Accountability Partner or a Babysitter?

A lot of people ask for accountability but really want a babysitter.

A babysitter watches you, makes sure you do the bare minimum, and keeps you from drifting too far off course. They keep you safe — but they don’t push you forward.

True accountability is different.

It’s you owning the process and inviting someone to walk alongside you. It’s saying, “Here’s the standard I’ve set. Hold me to it.”

Being in the leadership space, I’ve seen this over and over.

Some people grow because they take full ownership. Others stall because they’re still waiting for someone else to drive the process.

A babysitter checks in on you. Real accountability makes you check in on yourself.

Why We Default to a Babysitter

It’s easier.

Building your own structure takes work. It’s simpler to say, “Remind me to do this,” than to create a system where the action is non-negotiable.

But when life gets hard, quick fixes fall apart. If you’ve built your growth on vision, it holds.

Vision Changes Everything

Without vision, accountability burns out fast. Vision gives accountability something to protect. Without it, you’re just chasing short-term wins that fade.

My Sleep Story

In 2016, I lived on four hours of sleep. People told me to rest more, but it never stuck. I’d ask for accountability, but really I just wanted a babysitter to nag me.

By 2023, my thinking changed. One of my core values is to be a healthy and active man for the rest of my life. That shifted my focus to the long term and made me ask, What could stop me from living that way?

Sleep topped the list. Books like Outlive and Why We Sleep showed me how much rest impacts clarity, health, and longevity.

This time, I owned the process: I wanted to average seven hours a night. I told my accountability partner, “I’ll send you my average every day. I don’t need you to chase me, I just need someone to see it.”

Since August 2023, I’ve hit that goal 95% of the time — not because someone babysat me, but because I took ownership.

Why Accountability Works

According to the American Society of Training and Development, you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone — and 95% if you set a specific accountability appointment.

But those numbers only matter if the accountability is built on your vision, not someone else’s checklist.

The Takeaway

Before you ask for accountability, ask yourself — do you want a partner, or a babysitter?

Real accountability starts with you.

Set the vision. Build the structure. Own the process. Invite the right people to keep you on track.

When you combine ownership with vision, you don’t just hit goals — you build a life that can sustain growth for decades. 🧱