The new sales leader came in and immediately identified the team’s biggest problem.
“The sales reps are leaving events early,” they told me. “That’s time theft, and it’s something I’m going to tackle right away.”
I listened.
What I wanted to say was, “The problem on this team isn’t time theft. The problem is leadership engagement.”
But I also understood something about new leaders. Many feel enormous pressure to prove themselves quickly. They want to establish authority, demonstrate decisiveness, and show they can solve problems.
So, I listened.
Within a month, approximately a quarter of the sales team was gone.
Officially, it was called a restructuring.
Unofficially, the lowest performers were let go.
The team knew exactly what was happening.
What bothered me wasn’t that people were let go. Sometimes difficult staffing decisions are necessary. What bothered me was that the leader, while completely well meaning, couldn’t tackle the root cause of why some sales reps were leaving events early, swapping assignments, or disengaging.
Meaningful conversations went nowhere. Curiosity and investigation soon turned into the new leader’s hands being tied as to what they could change. Leadership above them was eager to “get rid of the problem” (performers in their mind) but wasn’t open to feedback about what was actually happening.
No curiosity.
Just assumptions.
And that’s where many leaders unknowingly create the very problems they are trying to solve.
The Leadership Trap
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is confusing symptoms with causes.
Poor performance is a symptom.
Low engagement is a symptom.
High turnover is a symptom.
Missed targets are symptoms.
Yet many leaders immediately focus on correcting the visible behavior instead of understanding what is driving it. Especially when they themselves are a part of the problem.
When a salesperson misses quota, it’s easy to conclude they aren’t working hard enough.
When an employee seems disengaged, it’s easy to assume they don’t care.
When people start leaving, it’s tempting to blame the labor market, generational differences, or a lack of loyalty.
But effective leadership requires something more difficult than judgment.
It requires curiosity, and a willingness to look in the mirror.
Psychologists refer to this tendency as the fundamental attribution error. We naturally assume people’s behavior is caused by their character rather than their circumstances.
We think:
- They’re lazy.
- They’re unmotivated.
- They’re difficult.
- They’re not committed.
Rarely do we stop and ask:
- Have expectations been made clear?
- Do they have the tools they need?
- Have they received proper training?
- Do they understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture?
- Have they been coached effectively?
- Do they trust leadership?
Those questions are harder because they force leaders to examine their own role in the situation.
And that can be uncomfortable.
Accountability Starts at the Top
One of the greatest misconceptions about leadership is that accountability flows downward.
Many leaders believe their primary job is holding others accountable.
Accountability starts with the leader.
The best leaders I’ve worked with share a common trait. When something goes wrong, their first question isn’t:
“Who’s responsible?”
Their first question is:
“What am I missing?”
That simple shift changes everything.
Instead of looking for blame, they look for understanding.
Instead of searching for someone to punish, they search for opportunities to improve systems, communication, and support.
This doesn’t mean leaders excuse poor performance.
It doesn’t mean everyone gets a participation trophy.
It doesn’t mean difficult conversations are avoided.
It means leaders recognize that their behavior, communication, and decisions shape the environment where performance either thrives or struggles.
A leader who refuses to examine their own contribution to problems will eventually run out of employees to blame.
The Hidden Cost of Avoiding Accountability
After the layoffs, something interesting happened.
Sales didn’t improve. Morale didn’t improve. Engagement didn’t improve.
Why?
Because the underlying issue remained.
In fact, a new problem emerged. The remaining employees learned that when results weren’t where leadership wanted them to be, someone would be blamed.
Trust began to erode. Psychological safety disappeared.
People became more focused on protecting themselves than solving problems.
This is the hidden cost of poor leadership accountability.
When leaders avoid accountability, teams stop taking risks.
Innovation declines. Honest feedback disappears.
Employees become less likely to speak up about challenges because they fear being labeled as the problem.
Over time, organizations become trapped in a cycle where the symptoms are addressed repeatedly while the root causes remain untouched.
Three Things Leaders Can Do Today
Leadership accountability isn’t complicated, but it does require intentional practice.
Here are three actions every leader can implement immediately.
- Ask Before You Assume
The next time you observe behavior you don’t like, resist the urge to immediately draw conclusions.
Instead, ask questions.
Get curious.
Seek context.
The employee arriving late may be caring for a sick parent.
The struggling salesperson may not fully understand the process.
The disengaged team members may feel their concerns have gone unheard for months.
Great leaders investigate before they evaluate.
- Create a Feedback Loop
Many leaders want accountability from their teams but never invite accountability for themselves.
Ask your team:
- What am I doing that’s helping you succeed?
- What am I doing that’s making your job harder?
- What should I start, stop, or continue doing?
Then listen without becoming defensive.
Your team’s experience of your leadership is often very different from your perception of it.
The willingness to hear that feedback is one of the strongest signs of leadership maturity.
- Measure Your Leadership, Not Just Their Performance
Most leaders track sales numbers, productivity metrics, attendance, and project completion rates.
How many track their own effectiveness?
Consider regularly evaluating:
- Team engagement
- Trust levels
- Employee retention
- Development conversations completed
- Coaching sessions conducted
- Recognition given
Results matter.
But the behaviors that create those results matter even more.
The best leaders understand that performance is often a lagging indicator of leadership effectiveness.
The Leadership Mirror
Leadership accountability ultimately comes down to one question:
Are you willing to look in the mirror before pointing a finger?
The strongest leaders aren’t the ones who never make mistakes.
They’re the ones who take ownership when they do.
They’re willing to challenge their assumptions, seek feedback, and continuously improve.
Because leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating an environment where people can do their best work.
And that starts with a leader who is accountable not only for results—but for the culture, trust, and people that produce them.
If your team isn’t performing the way you’d like, before asking what’s wrong with them, ask yourself:
What might my leadership be teaching them?
The answer may be the most valuable leadership lesson you’ll ever learn.
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Yvonne Lee-Hawkins is a Holistic Career & Burnout Coach supporting high-performing professionals through career transitions, leadership challenges, and burnout recovery.
She also helps recent graduates land their first career. You can find out more on her website, or follow her on LinkedIn, Medium, or Instagram.
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