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Do Leaders have to be Responsible and Accountable?

LIFE LEADERSHIP DIGEST – Article by Steve Trivett – 6/02/2023

The Difference that makes the Difference

We tend to think that responsibility and accountability are the same things but some clarity is needed. Responsibility is about action because it involves us in making a commitment. We always have a choice in how we see things. When we make a commitment we are creating a relationship with a future outcome that must be delivered. When a commitment is made we face unknown challenges that need to be overcome. To make progress we have to figure out what has to be done. The commitment guides us in actions we need to take. Being responsible means staying focused on achieving what we commit ourselves to.

What is Real Leadership?

A leader will be leading even when they may not be held accountable. They always take personal or professional responsibility for their actions even when they are not formally accountable. In effect, as life leaders, we hold ourselves accountable for what we promise to ourselves. We are therefore answerable to ourselves for what we see as our responsibilities.

For example, life leadership behaviour happens in one’s personal life when as a partner we ensure that we give the highest priority to delivering what we commit to. This builds trust and displays integrity. As life leaders, we apply the same standards of behaviour in relationships with our professional and business partners.  

In their book ‘The Power of Owning Up’, Bob Dunham and Sameer Dua identify four “postures” that people who call themselves leaders take.

  1. THE BYSTANDER – adopts a posture of accepting no accountability or responsibility for what happens. They can have the title of leader but tend to “play it safe” and so have a false sense of satisfaction in the role. Any failures are blamed on others who avoid compliance because they are not trusted.  
  2. THE VICTIM – understands that their position may hold them accountable for what happens but they cannot be held responsible for the behaviour of others. They fear change and only see problems and get overwhelmed and anxious by pressure. They have low self-esteem.
  3. THE PERFORMER – is the posture adopted by many managers who only hold themselves both accountable and personally responsible for what is in their contract. They cannot see the bigger picture, only trusting their ability to act, not achieve the outcomes beyond their remit. 
  4. THE LEADER – adopts the posture of a “life leader” in that they hold themselves committed to finding how to deliver the result they commit to, even though they may not initially know how to achieve the result it or be accountable for delivering it. They are always open to engaging with the unknown, believing in themselves to find the personal qualities needed to succeed.

Our Inner Accountability

To act responsibly, attention must be given to the way we use language, mood and body state to communicate a genuine commitment. Before that commitment is acted on, we need to be clear in our own minds about what exactly we are taking responsibility for. This may involve grounding the facts as we know them that will achieve a result that fits our values and what’s important to us. But what assumptions are we making that might threaten our reputation or identity?

The diagram below shows how we need to listen to and clarify our thoughts and intentions.

Our Outer Accountability

We stay committed to what we have promised because we care about the outcome agreed upon with others. It matters to us. We commit to delivering the outcome whatever it takes. It’s a demonstration of our integrity and trustworthiness. We do what we promise. Accountability is an assessment made by others who are holding you accountable for what you declared was your responsibility. We only hold ourselves accountable for what we promise, thinking carefully before making that commitment. Do we care enough about what we are committing ourselves to, to take responsibility for delivery

Taking Care of What We Care About

In the course of everyday life, be it in families, friendships workplaces or governments, when standards drop, projects fail and relationships crumble, often it’s because people did not accept full responsibility, or were held accountable for results they didn’t agree to. Clarity is needed if trust is to be maintained. There must be a point in the conversation where the commitment is clarified in terms of satisfaction with the outcome, standard and timescale formally agreed. If not, the person responsible cannot be held accountable. 

The diagram below explains the promise cycle where there is a commitment made between a customer and a provider. If customers are not taken care of they will be dissatisfied, even though they are not responsible for the service they received. They may feel like a victim and walk away. But if they see the provider as accountable for the service they will seek clarity on what they are responsible for. The customer is inviting the provider to create a better future by changing their performance to satisfy the customer. Both customer and provider are taking care of what they both care about – i.e. customer satisfaction.

Diagram courtesy of Prof Alan Sieler at the Ontological Coaching Institute in Australia

Successful leaders hold themselves responsible for the commitments they make whether they are being held accountable or not. The diagram below explains the relationship between care and results. The manager holds themselves accountable for the responsibilities they are contracted to perform, whereas the leader holds themselves responsible for what they commit to, whether or not they are being held directly accountable for the result.

The Capacity for Strong Leadership

The Life Leader is someone who has the strength of commitment to find new possibilities and thrive on the challenges of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity created by a VUCA environment.  This involves the capacity for:

  • Facing facts that we cannot change, so as not to limit ourselves to what we cannot promise with confidence.
  • Exploring possibilities we would rather ignore or that go beyond what we have seen before.
  • Embracing uncertainty with a new narrative that serves what we truly care about and that looks beyond what we value today.
  • Seeking growth means taking calculated risks to commit to something innovative that generates a new future.

Life Leadership seeks to get at the heart of what makes a valued relationship, a healthy society and a sustainable environment. We can be held to account for the actions taken to deliver a desired result,  but accountability does not entail responsibility. This is because responsibility is an inside-out perspective, an internal state that guides our actions whereas accountability, is an outside-in perspective where responsibility is judged on the impact it has on changing the future. The world is not the same place after a promise is fulfilled. 

No matter what role we take on in life we can adopt a life leadership mindset. The key question is whether we care about making a bigger contribution and taking it on with greater responsibility. If it’s done out of obligation, it won’t be effective in producing the desired outcomes or a meaningful experience for the producer of the actions. However, it can also be a path in life and work where we look at how we take care of bigger possibilities, commitments and outcomes.

Life Leaders do things because they really matter. As providers, they work beyond their contracted hours because they care for their customers or hold themselves to a higher standard than others to fulfil what they promised themselves. Leaders don’t have to be made accountable to be responsible.