The CEO’s Blindspot of Healthy Accountability

Sometimes a single word can change the entire tone of a conversation. That’s what Darin Lynch, Founder and CEO of Irish Titan, discovered while participating in the Healthy Accountability Research Project.

Darin is the author of Chapter 1 in the Healthy Accountability book. The chapter is called “A CEO’s Blindspot: How Adding the Word ‘Healthy’ Instantly Improved Accountability.”

Darin walked into one of the early meetings of the Accountability Research Steering Team with confidence that his company had accountability all figured out. Irish Titan is a high-performing organization, known for holding strong standards and delivering results. But the research shared in that meeting, and the stories of other leaders around the table, revealed something unexpected:

Most employees don’t perceive accountability as positive. Many associate it with fear, not growth.

That didn’t line up with how Darin thought his team experienced accountability, so he asked them. And sure enough, the same concerns surfaced. There was hesitation, defensiveness, and discomfort around the very idea of being “held accountable.”

The Small Shift That Sparked Something Bigger

Darin started using the term “healthy accountability” in team conversations, and something shifted. Instead of reacting with resistance, people leaned in, and curiosity replaced their caution. Healthy accountability is defined as “when people win together in an environment where individuals take personal ownership, and embrace the support of the team, to deliver quality work on time.

Eventually, the company revised its employee handbook to include the mindset, language, and practices that had begun to emerge. Even the acronym “HA”, short for healthy accountability, became a shared rallying cry across the team.

A Chapter Worth Sitting With

Chapter 1 is a reminder of the importance of self-awareness. Darin’s honesty and humility in this chapter are what make it so impactful. Instead of defending the status quo, he chose to listen, ask better questions, and test a new approach.

The full chapter is available now in the free Healthy Accountability preview eBook. It’s a quick, thought-provoking read and might spark a similar shift for anyone navigating accountability with a team.

Sometimes all it takes is one word.