Over the course of my career, I have been privileged to dialogue with scientists from a variety of fields. One of them was the astute primatologist, Frans de Waal, who spent over 30 years observing chimpanzee behavior.
Shortly before he died, he told me, “If a dominant chimpanzee fails to serve the best interests of the group – for example, refusing to share food or reproductive rights – a coalition of females will forcefully strip him of leadership.”
That kind of accountability for misbehavior rarely happens to organizational leaders.
Think of any leader you know who resides at the apex of their pyramid – a C-level executive, business owner, managing partner, executive director, or president of a democracy.
Ask yourself this: Who actually holds that person accountable for their behavior? Not on paper, but in actual practice?
The plain truth is that all too often, leaders at the very top of their organizations do what they want, with few meaningful guardrails.
Even when they collaborate, they often maneuver and manipulate outcomes with little push-back.
Some fortunate leaders might be held accountable for financial performance and policy mandates, but even in those circumstances, their day-to-day behaviors, the way they treat people, and certainly their level of commitment to personal growth, are almost never openly questioned.
When leaders of family businesses, professional firms, public institutions, not-for-profits, and even whole nations lack accountability, the cornerstone trust of their followers is shaken.
Sadly, and universally, the danger of weak accountability increases with position power, all the way to the top.
Why is this important?
When leaders are blind to the impact of their actions or decisions, the repercussions extend far beyond individual failures. Ultimately, their lack of accountability leads to diminished trust among team members, stifled innovation, and a proliferation of whispered conversations about the leader who evades critique.
If genuine (not make-believe) accountability is absent at the top, team members may feel justified in avoiding responsibility themselves, leading to a disengaged workforce, where employees are less motivated to strive for excellence or collaborate.
Like everyone else, leaders sometimes operate reactively instead of strategically, relying on short-term fixes rather than making informed, long-view choices.
Who holds leaders accountable for their reactivity?
In a rapidly changing business environment, who does a leader rely on for feedback on how well they are assessing risks, learning from failures, and promoting healthy relationships?
Let’s look at what it means to be accountable.
First, it means owning your humanity – your mistakes, misjudgments, lack of transparency and lapses of integrity. Seeing yourself as human and fallible is a mindset that no one else can put into you. You have to accept it at a deep level and take it on as a personal commitment to yourself.
Everyone who reports to you already knows (trust me on this) that you are not a perfect leader. Pretending that you are above the law or not subject to the same higher-ground expectations that apply to others crumbles your credibility.
When you own your humanity and humility, people will see it and likely follow your lead.
Second, it means you serve the system, the system doesn’t serve you. Your people need to be heard and seen, and their input eagerly solicited, acknowledged, and appreciated. At the same time, they want to understand your vision for the future, where you stand, and what you expect.
Without that give-and-take transparency, team members may feel disillusioned and hesitant to share their ideas or voice concerns, fearing your defensiveness or blind eye.
Finally, accountability is not just an idea. It has to be concrete. Here’s how you can make it real:
Identify two or three individuals who will give you meaningful feedback on your functioning, on a regular basis. The individuals can be inside or outside the organization. Sincerely ask them to be a sounding board for you. Tell them how much you would value their unadorned honesty.
Get explicit about what you want:
“What are you noticing about how I show up to people?”
“What do you see as possible blind spots for me?”
“What one behavior shift would make it easier for people to connect with me?”
Then listen. Seek examples and deeper understanding, so that your sounding boards know you’re serious.
In the end, accountability is about culture, not just performance.
The blame-shifting, defensiveness, and mistrust that can infect a culture all feed on lack of top-level transparency and accountability. Employee satisfaction and retention, as well as external reputation, is very much at stake here.
Smart leaders recognize that accountability is not just a personal trait but a vital component of culture that builds high-trust relationships.
When you have that, your organizational vibrancy will be hard to stop.
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