Let’s talk about the A-word.
Accountability gets tossed around in every leadership meeting, strategy deck, and performance conversation, but rarely with clarity. What we call accountability is often just thinly veiled evaluation: performance reviews, stack rankings, awkward check-ins. The result is that employees disengage, managers feel ineffective, and companies keep wondering why results are not improving.
Ron Carucci’s article in Harvard Business Review lays the problem bare. According to the research he cites:
- 82 percent of managers say they do not know how to hold others accountable
- 91 percent of employees see it as a top leadership development need
- Only 14 percent feel their performance is managed in a way that motivates them
- And 69 percent do not believe they are reaching their full potential at work
The data speaks volumes. Most accountability systems are not working. Not because people do not care, but because the systems were not designed to bring out the best in people.
We have spent years helping organizations reframe this conversation. Accountability is not about enforcing compliance. It is about inspiring ownership. When leaders understand that, everything changes.
Carucci identifies three shifts that reflect what we see in high-performing cultures.
Accountability starts with dignity
When leaders ask about the story behind the work, not just the outcome, people respond with pride, clarity, and commitment. It is a simple change. “Tell me how you got here” instead of “Here is your rating.” But it builds the kind of trust that drives performance.
Fairness is not about treating everyone the same
Too many systems confuse uniformity with equity. Real fairness means recognizing people’s unique contributions and ensuring they have an equal chance to succeed. Not just an equal set of checkboxes to complete. When that shift happens, accountability stops feeling punitive and starts feeling purposeful.
Growth matters more than blame
The best leaders do not just hold others accountable. They hold themselves accountable for creating the conditions for success. When a target is missed, they ask whether the person had what they needed, whether the expectations were clear, whether the support was there. That is what accountability looks like in a culture of growth.
Carucci is right. We need to redefine accountability. But we do not need another model or tool. We need a new mindset. One that treats accountability not as a task to manage, but as a value to live.
Because when people feel seen, trusted, and supported, they do not need to be held accountable. They already are.
Elsewhere In Culture
Small businesses are quietly leading a cultural shift that many larger organizations are still avoiding: replacing rigid, infrequent performance reviews with real-time, continuous feedback. As outlined in Mariette Williams’ recent article for Business Insider, companies like Carve Communications and Interdependence are turning to consistent, personalized check-ins to build mentorship, improve workflows, and encourage innovation. This is not just about process efficiency. It is a reframing of accountability. When feedback becomes part of everyday conversations, employees feel seen, supported, and more confident in taking ownership of their work.
This mindset shift also changes how teams operate under pressure. At Protekt Products, cofounder Tim Duba shared that once feedback was normalized, fear of failure disappeared. That cultural shift led to an employee-driven idea to bring manufacturing in-house, a decision that helped set the company up for exponential growth. These examples reflect what we see at Culture Partners: trust and clarity drive performance. When leaders treat feedback as a collaborative tool rather than a judgment mechanism, employees do not just improve. They lead, innovate, and accelerate results.
The Business Insider article on layoff support groups reveals a shift in how people are reclaiming control in uncertain times. When companies cut jobs, what often gets overlooked is the emotional and cultural toll left behind. These peer-led communities on LinkedIn, Discord, and Reddit are stepping in where employers fall short—offering real-time support, connection, and even job leads. This isn’t just about commiseration. It’s about reframing job loss as a shared experience rather than a personal failure. That’s a powerful cultural signal: people are finding belonging where institutions have created isolation.
What’s happening in these groups mirrors what we’ve seen inside organizations that prioritize culture. When people feel safe to share, reflect, and grow together, they perform better. The irony is that these support groups are modeling the very kind of accountability and belief-driven culture many organizations struggle to create internally. It’s a reminder that culture is not confined to company walls. If leaders want to build workplaces where people thrive, even through tough transitions, they have to stop treating layoffs as a line item and start recognizing them as a cultural moment. Because how you handle exits says just as much about your culture as how you onboard.