Nobody Is Accountable All the Time: The Philosophy Behind Accountability
“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.”— Molière
Nobody is accountable all the time.
Not even Huberman, not even Churchill.
I have been a lifelong fan of Wiston Churchill. His strategies during World War II, his ability to think critically, analyze situations, and maintain composure in the most challenging moments of history are truly admirable.
So, you can imagine my excitement when, a couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Churchill War Rooms at Imperial War Museums in London. I immersed myself in every exhibit, absorbing every piece of history. Here’s something not many people know or would admire about him: he was deeply in debt because of his indiscriminate drinking.
A couple of weeks later, Andrew Huberman became news—and not the good kind—because he allegedly had six different relationships with women simultaneously. If you’re wondering who Huberman is and why this matters, he is a PhD neuroscientist with the world’s #1 health podcast, counseling millions of men on health, happiness, and self-discipline. It’s not hard to see why the media and people went crazy.
Then there’s Shohei Ohtani, one of the best baseball players of all time, recently caught in a scandal involving the illegal transfer of nearly $17 million to pay off gambling debts. Yikes.
Or Michael Jordan, an exceptional player but, as many know, not the best teammate or person to be around. He was just not good with people.
We tend to idolize public figures. From Michael Jordan, to Ohtani, to Huberman and all the way to Churchill. They all look like out-of-this-world, god-like-figures that most people now revere, but they all had a human side. Surprised? Of course not. WE ARE ALL HUMAN.
These incidents got me thinking about an idea I constantly tell my clients:
"Being accountable is a philosophy, a state of mind. No one can be accountable all the time."
This is a concept I emphasize in many of my facilitation sessions with Stoic Mind customers. It explains what it means to be accountable (being above the line) and contrasts it with what I call “the blame game.”
The truth is, we all fall below the line at some point. The goal of this philosophy is to recognize when it happens, be self-critical, and strive to get back to being accountable—back to being above the line.
There are countless examples of people we’ve idealized, but in the end, they are human. They might excel and be exceptional in one part of their lives, but there will be other areas where they fall short.
As spectators, we tend to see only the fraction we admire—the super player. They are the best because they are focused and fully accountable in that facet of their life. But other parts fall off because their hyperfocus on one area simply cannot be maintained in others.
This is true for everyone, including myself. At work, I excel at managing relationships with our customers, and I particularly enjoy developing and coaching our leadership team. People say I am very accountable at my job. But with my family, not so much. I constantly get feedback about not dedicating enough time to my kids, wife, or siblings/mother.
It also happens with my morning routine. I tend to follow and manage to be very disciplined with what I like to do first thing in the morning: waking up at 4:30 am, grabbing my gratitude journal, reading for a bit, skimming through important emails with a cup of coffee in hand, and then going for a 5-mile run.
Even though this routine has proven to be extremely positive in my life, I frequently slip. I’ll follow it for months nonstop… until I don’t, and it’ll sometimes take weeks to get back on track. I constantly slip and come back again.
So, you see, accountability is a state of mind; it’s a philosophy. We are not accountable 100% of the time or in 100% of the things we do. Recognizing this helps us identify when we are below the line—pointing fingers, excusing ourselves, ignoring, procrastinating, or shifting responsibility to someone else. We must acknowledge when we’re in that state, say, “I screwed up,” and correct ourselves.
Philosophy does not say, “You will never stop being accountable,” no. This reminds me of a passage in Ryan Holiday‘s book “Discipline is Destiny”, where he says:
“Self-discipline, the virtue of temperance, is even more important: the ability to keep your ass in line. The ability to work hard, to say no, to practice good habits and set boundaries, to train and prepare, to ignore temptations and provocations, to keep your emotions in check, to endure painful difficulties. Self-discipline is giving everything you have and knowing when to hold back. Is there some contradiction in this? No, only balance.”
And so it is with accountability.
So far, we’ve been talking about individuals and how accountability is a philosophy, a state of mind. But how do we translate this into an organization? More importantly, how do we create an accountable organization?
The first step is to generate clarity around the roles and responsibilities each individual holds. Without clarity, how can someone be held responsible? In a company, an employee cannot generate accountability without absolute precision about their roles and duties within their function. That’s when we are more apt to embody this philosophy. If things are not clear, people simply don’t care.
Why does this matter? When there is no accountability in a business, leaders can’t execute, the culture falls apart, goals aren’t achieved, and progress stalls. Sound familiar? I’ve been there, and so have many of my customers: no clarity, no accountability chart, and people not knowing what they have to do.
One effective tool we use to address this is the Accountability Chart. By facilitating a 3-4 hour conversation about the ideal structure of the company 12 months from now, we map out an accountability chart where everyone knows their responsibilities. This clarity fosters a culture of accountability and ensures everyone moves forward in the right direction.
However, building an accountable organization goes beyond just clarity of roles. It also involves fostering team health. We help our clients build cohesive teams based on trust, enabling healthy conflict, which leads to genuine commitment. When team members trust each other, they are more likely to engage in healthy debates and conflicts, which are crucial for making better decisions and fostering commitment to shared goals. This commitment is the bedrock of accountability.
Accountability isn’t about perfection; it’s about striving for improvement and balance, both individually and collectively. By embracing this philosophy and fostering Team Health, we can create a culture where everyone understands their role, trusts their colleagues, engages in meaningful conflict, and works together towards common goals. This is how we help organizations not only achieve accountability but also thrive.