Leadership is About Accountability

Let's get something straight right out of the gate: leadership isn't about the title on your business card or the office you sit in, it's about clarity, accountability, and having the guts to get people on the same page. One of the biggest missteps I see leaders make is that they don't define their role. Not to themselves, and certainly not to the people they lead. Defining your role gives clear direction and a pathway to working as a team.

Supervisors or leaders rely on a job description—probably written by someone in HR who may have never actually led anyone—as the guiding description for how they should lead. Let's be clear: job descriptions don't lead people. Leaders do. 

Defining Your Role

If you don't define your role as a leader, how the heck do you expect anyone to follow you with confidence? 

Your team is watching every move you make. They're looking for direction, clarity, and certainty in an uncertain world. When you leave your role undefined, you're asking them to interpret your leadership—and that's how confusion, frustration, and misalignment start creeping in. And when that happens, accountability goes straight out the window.

If you don't define your role, someone else will—and you probably won't like their version. People have a way of filling in the empty space of not knowing what the role of a leader is with their own version of what it should be. This can be confusing and lead to loss of connectivity and communication. 

It's Simple: Sit Down and Spell It Out

Leadership isn't a guessing game. One of the most powerful things you can do is sit down with your team and have a real conversation—not a meeting, not a lecture, a conversation—about roles.

This is a sample of how easy it can be:

"Here's what my role is. I'm here to lead, support, hold you accountable, and help you grow. I'm not here to micromanage or babysit. I'm here to create a culture of excellence. Now let's talk about your role." You've just opened the door to clarity.

5 Tips to Define Roles and Get on the Same Page:

1. Start With Your Mission.  

   Every role flows from the mission. Define the purpose of your team, your business, and/or your organization. Then align roles to serve that mission.

2. Clarify Your Leadership Lane. 

   Your role is to cast vision, set expectations, coach performance, and correct when necessary. Make that crystal clear.

3. Define Their Role in Terms of Ownership.  

   Tell your people what you expect—not hope—they own. Be specific. Accountability begins with clear expectations.

4. Write It Down Together.  

   Create a "role agreement" where both you and the team member write down what you believe your role is and what their role is. Review it together and adjust as needed.

5. Follow Up Consistently.  

   You can't just talk about roles once and walk away. You've got to revisit the conversation regularly. Keep people aligned.

The Bottom Line

Leadership is about getting people on the same page—and you can't do that if you don't even know what page you're on. Defining your role is about planting your flag in the ground and saying, "This is who I am. This is how I lead. And this is what I expect." 

Don't leave leadership to interpretation. Don't assume people know what you expect. Define it. Say it out loud. Put it on paper. Own it.

Because at the end of the day, leadership without accountability is just a title. And accountability starts with clarity.

Stay clear. Stay strong. And always—lead with purpose.

—Dean Crisp