The following is adapted from Hope Is Not a Strategy by Brandi Nicole Chin.
Just hearing the word accountability can make people tense. It often brings to mind uncomfortable conversations, performance reviews, and the fear of getting something wrong. For many leaders, accountability feels synonymous with pressure, conflict, or punishment.
But what if that reaction isn’t about the concept itself—what if it’s about how we’ve experienced it?
That question surfaced for me during a training with school and network leaders. I asked them to share the first words that came to mind when they heard “accountability.” After a moment of reflection, the answers emerged: trouble, micromanagement, being bad at the job. If that’s how leaders feel, it’s not hard to imagine what teachers and staff are carrying.
The issue isn’t accountability. It’s the version most of us have lived with. Too often, accountability is enforced on people instead of built with them. It becomes compliance-driven, top-down, and rooted in fear. But there’s another kind—one grounded in clarity, trust, and shared ownership. That version doesn’t diminish people; it helps them perform at their best.
When accountability is done well, expectations are explicit, support is visible, and feedback is treated as a tool for growth rather than a threat. People know what success looks like and believe leadership will follow through fairly and consistently. That kind of clarity isn’t restrictive… It's freeing.
So why do so many leaders avoid it?
Because accountability feels personal. Leaders worry that holding the line will damage relationships, lower morale, or push people out the door, especially in competitive talent markets. But avoiding accountability doesn’t protect people; it confuses them. It doesn’t build trust; it quietly erodes it. And it doesn’t retain strong performers; it drives them away.
High performers don’t run from accountability. They expect it. Nothing frustrates a committed employee more than watching low standards go unchecked. When leaders fail to reinforce expectations, they don’t create harmony—they create resentment.
Another common trap is the desire to be liked. Many leaders default to praise, flexibility, and silence around missed expectations, believing it will earn goodwill. In reality, it produces inconsistency. Over time, clarity disappears, norms become optional, and trust declines. Respect isn’t built through avoidance; it’s built through follow-through.
Accountability isn’t about punishment or control. It’s about structure. It creates safety by eliminating guesswork and ensuring fairness. Without it, organizations drift… slowly at first, then all at once.
The most effective teams don’t fear accountability. They rely on it. Because when expectations are clear and feedback is consistent, people don’t just perform better. They stay, grow, and commit to the work that matters most.
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For more on leadership integrity in the workplace, check out Hope Is Not a Strategy on Amazon.
Dr. Brandi Nicole Chin is a nationally recognized expert in educational leadership who has spent over two decades transforming schools serving marginalized communities. As a founding school director in Denver, she led her campus to become the number one school in the city, achieving the highest academic growth in this city and second-highest in the state. Dr. Chin coaches hundreds of school and network leaders nationwide through national leadership development programs and her consulting practice. As an entrepreneur, she co-owns a real estate investment company and enjoys tea, hiking, and underwriting multifamily deals.