Healthy Accountability: Winning with Purpose

Kristi Fox tells Securian Financial’s story in Chapter 2 of the Healthy Accountability Preview eBook, called “A Strategic View: Win with Purpose.” Kristi is the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Securian Financial, where her work touches all 5,500 employees across operations, people, and technology.

The title of the company’s multi-year plan, “Win with Purpose”, was clear and energizing. It connected deeply to Securian’s identity as a mutual company, owned by policyholders – all focused on building secure tomorrows. But as the strategy rolled out, a question kept surfacing:

What does “winning” actually mean to employees?

Strategic goals were clearly defined, scorecards were in place, and leadership messaging was strong. And yet, something still wasn’t clicking.

A New Voice Emerges

In conversations with employees, it became clear that the desire to win was real, but so was the confusion. Many employees and leaders wanted to contribute to the company’s success, but they struggled to see how their work connected to the broader picture. The research data from Good Leadership confirmed the experience:

95% of employees want to deliver good work on time, but they need clarity, support, and ownership to get there.

At Securian, the cry for healthy accountability wasn’t coming from executives. It was coming from employees.

Healthy accountability is defined as “when people win together in an environment when individuals take personal ownership, and embrace the support of the team, to deliver quality work on time”.

Accountability as a Shared Standard

Kristi and her colleagues recognized that accountability needed to be intentionally embedded in the talent philosophy. That meant moving away from the traditional model, where leaders hold employees accountable, and toward a shared culture where everyone takes ownership.

A question that each leader had to answer individually based on this realization:
“How will I own my responsibility as a positive role model?”

This question created momentum in peer coaching, candid insights and reflection, and a settled focus on the habits that drive healthy accountability across the organization.

The Power of Strategic Clarity

Kristi’s Securian story shows how even the strongest organizations need to re-think their plans. Culture building requires specific moments of translation – from how we used to do things, to how we need to do things differently to meet the needs of our customers. It’s a mistake for leaders to assume a new vision automatically becomes motivation for action. “We’re just getting started on our healthy accountability journey,” shared Kristi, “and the best is yet to come as we truly start winning together.”

Download the free eBook preview to read Chapter 2 in full.
Click here to access the preview.