Last week I was having a discussion with a leader in a high growth organization about the most important behaviours her people-leaders needed in order for their company to continue on their current (intense) growth rate. As we started to talk about the usual suspects - giving and receiving feedback, confidence in difficult conversations, and holding each other accountable - she said something that totally shifted our train of thought, and landed really well with me, she said:
"Adam, I totally believe accountability is important, and we need that in our leaders. But I actually need something more, I want them to feel a sense of responsibility."
It led down a wonderful rabbit hole about the relationship between accountability and responsibility, and how we need our leaders to think about their roles. It seems that leaders everywhere are beginning to explore the nuances of these concepts, especially as they reflect on the evolution of their own leadership styles and the needs of their teams.
For many leaders, accountability has long been seen as a cornerstone of effective management. They emphasize the importance of holding themselves and their teams accountable—making sure everyone is delivering on their promises and commitments. And it’s easy to see why this is a priority. Accountability builds trust. It ensures that each member of the team can rely on one another, knowing that if something is agreed upon, it will get done. It’s about transparency, reliability, and creating a culture where follow-through is non-negotiable.
When leaders talk about accountability, what they often mean is having clear expectations and holding people to those expectations. It’s a foundational piece of leadership—without accountability, teams can quickly lose their sense of direction, and results can fall flat. But what I’ve noticed in my conversations with leaders lately is a growing awareness that accountability, while critical, is not enough.
Leaders are starting to ask: What’s next?
And that’s where the idea of responsibility comes in.
Unlike accountability, which is often external (being answerable to someone else), responsibility is deeply internal. It’s about taking full ownership—not just of tasks and deadlines, but of the success of the team, the outcomes of a project, and the growth of the leader themselves. Responsibility is about seeing beyond what’s asked of you and proactively stepping into the challenges ahead, even when no one is watching.
In conversation after conversation, I’ve heard leaders express that they’re striving to foster this sense of responsibility within their teams. They’re not just asking,
“Did we get this done on time?”
but rather,
“Are we taking ownership of our success? Are we building a culture where every leader feels deeply invested in the outcomes?”
To give you a sense of how these two concepts differ in practice, here’s what they often sound like:
Leaders are beginning to realize that while accountability keeps us on track, responsibility propels us forward. It’s the shift from doing what’s expected to owning the full scope of what leadership entails.
So how do we cultivate this shift in our teams?
It’s clear that the conversation around leadership is shifting. Accountability will always be essential, but more and more leaders are realizing that responsibility is the true key to long-term success. It’s the difference between managing tasks and owning the future.
As this dialogue continues to evolve, I encourage all of us to reflect on how we can foster responsibility within our teams. After all, the future of leadership isn’t just about keeping promises—it’s about driving results with purpose and ownership.
AF