Somewhere along the way, accountability got a bad reputation.

For some employees, it means being written up, being counseled, or being one step closer to losing their job.

And some leaders have helped create that perception.

They only talk about accountability when something goes wrong. When the numbers aren’t there. When someone misses a goal. When performance becomes a problem.

Other leaders go in the opposite direction.

They avoid the conversation altogether. They soften the message. They wait. They hope things will improve on their own.

Neither approach is leadership.

Accountability isn’t supposed to be punishment. It’s about commitment.

Commitment to clear expectations. Commitment to doing what we said we’d do. Commitment to our customers and members, our teammates, and ourselves.

But here’s where I think leaders need to look in the mirror.

How can you hold someone accountable for expectations you haven’t clearly communicated, demonstrated, and reinforced?

Think about something as basic as using a customer’s or member’s name during a transaction.

We’ve been talking about that expectation in banking for decades. It’s not complicated. Yet how often does a manager walk by, hear that it didn’t happen, and keep walking?

No feedback. No reminder. No coaching.

Now think about something more challenging, like asking meaningful, needs-based questions to better understand a customer’s financial situation.

If leaders aren’t reinforcing the simplest expectations, what makes us think they’ll reinforce the more difficult ones?

And here’s the bigger question: When leaders consistently walk past missed expectations, who’s really being held accountable?

The banker has a responsibility to meet the standard. Absolutely.

But the leader has a responsibility to reinforce it.

And that doesn’t mean every missed expectation requires a formal coaching session or a difficult conversation. Sometimes it’s simply taking 30 seconds to acknowledge what happened, remind someone of the expectation, and help them get it right the next time.

Real accountability starts long before there’s a performance problem.

It starts with clear expectations, regular observation, honest feedback, recognition when people get it right, and coaching when they don’t.

And yes, sometimes it means having a difficult conversation.

But accountability shouldn’t be something employees only hear about when they’ve done something wrong.

I’ve always believed that holding people accountable and helping them succeed should go hand in hand.

When leaders consistently do both, accountability stops being a threat and becomes part of how the team operates.

Standards don’t mean much when leaders consistently walk past them.

And maybe that’s where the accountability conversation needs to start. Not just with employees, but with the leaders responsible for helping them succeed.