A former mentee once said something to me that I’ll never forget.

During a glowing performance review — she’d smashed every goal we’d set — she paused my congratulations and said: “I don’t think I could’ve done it, if I didn’t feel so safe to fail with you.”

That hit me. Because we spend so much time talking about accountability, goals, KPIs, performance… But not enough time talking about the conditions that make people feel safe enough to grow — and fail — and grow again.

Accountability Means Owning Outcomes — Not Fearing Mistakes

There’s a misconception that fostering accountability means being hard-nosed. Tight on deadlines. Unforgiving on errors.

But that’s not accountability — that’s fear management.

Real accountability is knowing that you’re trusted to try, trusted to learn, and trusted to make things right when they go wrong.

And yes — things will go wrong. Trial and error includes… error.

Everything Is Fixable

One of the mantras I share with every team member and mentee is simple:

Everything is fixable.

No matter how bad something feels or how big the consequences seem — we can work through it. Together. Chances are, I’ve been there. I’ve made the mistake. I’ve learned the lesson. That’s where process comes from.

Rules and procedures don’t appear from thin air — they exist because someone once missed a step, took a shortcut, misunderstood the context. So when something breaks, I always ask:

1. Can we correct the outcome?
2. What safeguard or step needs to be added so this doesn’t happen again?

That’s how accountability becomes a growth engine — not a punishment system.

Ask Why — But Not Why Did You Mess Up?

I love the word “why.”

It’s one of my favourite tools as a leader — especially when it comes to values, motivation, and process improvement. But I never ask someone why they made a mistake.

Because honestly? It doesn’t matter. We all do. We’re human. That’s not the point.

The questions to ask are:

• How are we going to fix this?
• What did we learn?
• When we do it next time, what will we do differently?

But not “why”.

That’s the real conversation. That’s where growth lives.

Safety and Accountability Can Coexist

People perform best when they feel safe — not when they feel watched. When they’re trusted to own their space. When failure isn’t feared, but used as feedback.

Creating a culture of accountability means:

• Giving people permission to own their actions, without shame.
• Helping them recover from mistakes, not bury them.
• Celebrating those who speak up early, course correct, and learn fast.

Because success isn’t just hitting the target. It’s building people who can keep going — even after they miss.