Accountability - Accountability is perhaps the most misunderstood business concept today. Most people equate accountability with consequences. Everywhere you hear the word 'accountable', it is associated with bad behavior, poor performance and negative consequences. It is no wonder most people try to avoid accountability!

We talk about "holding" people accountable. I hear advisors say: "I need someone to hold me accountable. I hear manager's say "We need to do a better job of holding people accountable." We mistakenly believe that accountability is something that can and must be imposed. That's not accountability, that's consequences.

In fact, it is impossible to hold someone else accountable. Accountability is not consequences: its ownership. The very nature of accountability rests on the understanding that each and every one of us has freedom of choice. It is this freedom of choice that is the foundation of accountability. When you understand healthy accountability and learn to coach to ownership everything changes. You move from resistance to empowerment, from limits to possibilities, and from mediocrity to greatness.

Commitment - The dictionary defines commitment as "The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to some course of action." A commitment is a personal promise that you make with yourself. Keeping your promises with others builds strong relationships. Keeping self-promises builds character, esteem and success.

There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you only do it when circumstances permit. But, when you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. When we commit to something, we do things that we would not ordinarily do. Building commitment capacity has a dramatic affect on your personal and business results. Periodization helps you to build the capacity to follow through on critical commitments and achieve breakthrough results in all areas.

Greatness in the Moment - "When does one become a champion? When does one become great?" The obvious answers seem to be when the individual achieves a high level of performance, receives an award or a gold medal. Yet greatness is not achieved when the result is reached, but rather long before that when an individual chooses to do the things that he knows he needs to do. The results are not the attainment of greatness; the results are simply the confirmation of it. You become great long before the results show it. It happens in an instant, the moment you choose to do the things you need to do to be great and each moment that you continue to choose.

These three principles - Accountability, Commitment, and Greatness in the Moment are the core underpinnings of sustained success and fulfillment.