Leaders, It’s Time to Own Your Sh*t: Accountability Starts at the Top

Hey Leaders, Listen Up.

If you think your team’s gonna give a damn about accountability when you’re dodging responsibility like it’s a middle school game of dodgeball, think again. Accountability is more like a game of follow the leader. And guess what? Everyone is looking at you. Intimidating? Maybe. An ego boost? Perhaps. Whichever way you look at it, you're under the microscope.

Lead by Example or Don’t Bother Leading at All

We all know the saying: “Do as I say, not as I do.” Spoiler alert—it’s bullsh*t. If you’re the kind of leader who barks orders and then skates by without ever holding yourself to the same standards, don’t be surprised when your team checks out faster than a bad Netflix show.

Allow me to share an anecdote. 

Scenario 1: Enter Mr. CTO who had established a recruiting criteria of not considering anyone who had a university grade point average of less than 3.8 though Mr. CTO himself was a college dropout who left university to start the business. Though acknowledging his hypocrisy, he argued that grade point average is a predictor of future achievements within the work environment. While speaking in front of the company at Town Halls, Mr. CTO would refer to one of the core values related to No Ego; oppositely, behind closed doors, he could be found saying negative things about individual employees who had low GPAs or didn’t attend elite universities. Soon the CTO’s comments would be openly shared in the office hallways. While No Ego was claimed to be central to the company culture, in fact it was quite the contrary. As Mahatma Gandhi has said, No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive. 

The Accountability Domino Effect

Here’s the deal: accountability is contagious. When you hold yourself accountable, you create a ripple effect that hits every corner of your organization. Your team starts to understand that accountability isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a core value, and it starts with you.

Another anecdote.

Scenario 2: Now imagine Ms. CEO who spoke of culture as the crux of the organization. Culture was mentioned in every All Hands meeting, in every weekly stand-up. Culture was at the core of all business practices. She repeated the same origin story of the business in annual kickoffs. She wanted the office to evoke the culture with brand colors and the mission statement painted on the wall.  Ms. CEO was doing what she thought were all the right things for creating the corporate culture of the business. And in many ways, she was doing the right things. However, something just wasn’t quite right.  For all her focus on building a great culture, she wasn't living it herself. One of the three non-negotiables at the core of the business was feedback, and unfortunately, Ms. CEO avoided giving and receiving feedback. She would tell employees to their faces that they were doing a good job while complaining about their weaknesses behind their backs. Ms. CEO would have the executive team and other leaders do the dirty work: things like training, managing, offboarding. She even handed over the leadership of a reduction in force to the next in command. And when called out on her behavior in leadership meetings, Ms. CEO shut down, changed the subject, and essentially avoided the feedback at all costs. Her behavior translated to the rest of the organization in the form of a significant lack of accountability, a factor that defined the company culture.

Stop Passing the Buck—Own It

We’ve all seen it: the blame game, the finger-pointing, the endless excuses. It’s exhausting, and it’s toxic. If you’re serious about building a culture of accountability, it’s time to cut the crap. Stop passing the buck and start owning your role in the successes and the failures of your team. When you mess up (and you will), don’t hide behind your title. Admit it, fix it, and move on. Your team will respect you more for it, and they’ll be more likely to take ownership of their own mistakes too. Here's the kicker: holding yourself accountable doesn’t just benefit your team—it benefits you. It forces you to stay sharp, to continually evaluate your own performance, and to grow as a leader. And when your team sees you pushing yourself to be better, they’ll be inspired to do the same.

Scenario 3: Imagine Mr. Founder who passed the CEO reigns onto the COO. Of course, this is a standard business practice in succession planning.  But here’s the rub. Mr. Founder gave his Right-hand Woman, the COO, little notice before simply taking leave for six months. That six months turned into 18 months.  During the 18 months, the company completely changed its culture. Why? Because Mr. Founder and Right-hand Woman did not share the same vision for the future of the company.  During the 18 months of leave, Mr. Founder had very little contact with the Right-hand Woman, trusting that the company was in capable hands. Sure, it was in good standing. However, upon Mr. Founder’s return, he entered into a company that was not the same business he had left behind.  Mr. Founder went on leave during a time when the company was innovative and collaborative where ideas were welcomed, and those ideas flourished. Under the Right-hand Woman’s leadership, it turned into a place full of fear and skepticism in which any idea was criticized, so ideas stopped coming. Obviously, Mr. Founder had a lot of repairs to do upon returning to the company. And to think, it only took 18 months for it to become something not intended.

Bottom Line

Let’s be real—no one wants to work for a leader who’s all talk and no action. If you expect your employees to be accountable, you better be ready to walk the walk. And that means owning your sh*t, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it’s messy. Real leadership isn’t about pointing fingers; it’s about setting the bar. When your team sees you owning up to mistakes, taking responsibility for your decisions, and actually following through on your promises, they’ll follow suit. Why? Because you'll be proving you're human just like the rest of us. You make mistakes too. When you put your vulnerability on display, others will recognize authentic leadership and feel more comfortable honoring their commitments in the face of challenges and owning up to their mistakes too.

So leaders, it’s time to step up. If you want a team who's responsible, engaged, and committed, start by looking in the mirror. Be the kind of leader who owns their sh*t—because accountability, like respect, is earned, not demanded.