The Talent Test of Healthy Accountability

Recording a new episode of the Good Leadership Podcast always sparks deeper reflection. This time, Kevin Sensenig and I focused on one of the most foundational elements of the Pathway to Healthy Accountability: Select and Promote for Accountability.

Healthy accountability can’t thrive unless the systems behind hiring, advancement, and talent development are built to support it. Yet, those systems remain murky, inconsistent, or too soft in many organizations. And people notice.

People Are Watching

In most workplaces (and in the world), people pay close attention. They observe who gets promoted, who advances, and how decisions are made. In the healthy accountability interviews, we heard plenty of stories about senior people being hired or promoted for being smart, very good at sales (or something else), having a big book of business, and for loyalty & longevity. For role modeling healthy accountability? Not so much.

The Three Keys to Selecting and Promoting for Accountability

Through the research behind the Pathway to Healthy Accountability, three consistent practices emerged that help organizations strengthen their talent systems to reinforce accountability:

1. Ensure You Have Industry A-Players in Mission-Critical Roles

Mission-critical roles are the five to seven positions that could make or break a strategy. And industry A-players are those who could succeed not just here, but anywhere in the field. Healthy accountability grows when leaders can identify these roles, label them as mission-critical, and hold those leaders to a higher standard.

2. Conduct Consistent Talent Reviews

When talent reviews are consistent, honest, and anchored in clear expectations, employees see accountability as healthy. And it’s important the talent review is in tune with the changing needs of the business. 

3. Build Accountability into the Selection System

One CEO shared that his hiring process starts with a direct question: What’s your relationship with goals? If candidates can’t articulate how they approach goal setting, they don’t move forward. That clarity, right from the beginning, sets the tone for a culture of healthy accountability.

We also discovered how interview teams, rather than individuals, add another layer of transparency and honesty to interview processes. The best discussions are about how this candidate “adds to” our culture of healthy accountability, rather than “do they have it?”

Culture Is Reinforced by Decisions

The heart of this conversation is simple: culture is reinforced by what gets rewarded and promoted. Selecting and promoting for accountability sends a powerful message: ownership, follow-through, and team success matter here.

It’s also a reminder that accountability isn’t just an individual trait. It’s the result of systems and expectations working together. Healthy accountability starts with how talent is chosen, evaluated, and empowered to lead.

Listen to the full podcast episode to hear more on this topic. And for anyone looking to build a culture where people win together, start by asking: Who gets promoted, and why?