Accountable Leadership is an approach to leadership in which leaders assess, understand, and accept the full scope of their influence and the potential impact their actions have on those they serve. In short, they understand and aim to live up to their responsibilities.
It is also where positive human outcomes are placed at the forefront of leadership selection, practice, evaluation, and experience.
The necessity for Accountable Leadership comes from my observation and my belief that when leaders fail to embrace and tangibly implement the above approach or philosophy, it leads to negative impacts on society, particularly the employees and clients (in the case of a business or organization), and the members of the general public in the case of political leadership.
As such, leadership is not just a matter of a position, process, or skill set. It has a direct impact on human or people outcomes, which are a measure of how the people being served experience that leadership.
Leadership accountability does not just refer to taking responsibility for negative outcomes, but it requires a mindset and an approach dedicated to taking actions with the intent to prevent or offset those outcomes.
Leadership Selection and Development
When an organization and society goes about the process of selecting leadership, it should be deliberate, conscientious, and aligned with desired measurable human outcomes.
Therefore, the systems that generate these leaders, should facilitate an appropriate process of assessment, selection, development, and evaluation against these human outcomes.
Roles and Responsibilities
There are three entities that should play a role in facilitating effective and accountable leadership.
The People
The Leader
The Organization, Institution, or System
This is the philosophy of Accountable Leadership.
Accountable Leadership 