In the wake of Atmosphere CEO Andy Byron’s Coldplay kiss-cam scandal and resignation, we’re surrounded by dialogues about workplace behavior and accountability.
But accountability doesn’t have to be framed as a burden–something we’re held to when we’re tempted to bend or break the rules. In its most powerful form, accountability isn’t imposed on us by a manager, a deadline or a policy. It’s internal. Accountability is a personal commitment to integrity, growth and responsibility, and it is one of the most overlooked drivers of impactful performance and personal transformation.
In today’s professional world and current political climate, it’s more important than ever to analyze company cultures and trends, demand inclusive workplaces and advocate for mentorship and sponsorship in our industries, especially for underrepresented groups who may feel marginalized by recent attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
These conversations are essential, but there’s one critical element we don’t talk about nearly enough: Our own role in our success. Research indicates men tend to talk quite confidently about their own contributions to success, while women focus on the contributions of others and collaborations, and even downplay their own individual talents. But we have a responsibility to ourselves–to own our careers with clarity, discipline, and courage.
This is particularly important because of the very real barriers that exist in the workplace such as bias, underrepresentation, unequal access to networks and resources. These are systemic problems that demand systemic solutions.
But alongside the call for institutional accountability, we must also examine our personal accountability. Self-accountability is not about hustle culture or toxic individualism. It doesn’t mean you must do everything alone. In fact, one of the most self-accountable actions you can take is to seek help through mentorship, feedback, sponsorship, coaching, upskilling opportunities–not because someone told you to, but because you’ve recognized a gap or a goal and are willing to do the work to address it.
At its core, self-accountability is about doing what you say you’re going to do. The link between self-accountability and organizational accountability is interdependent. While a job may outline responsibilities, deadlines, and performance metrics, it’s the employee’s personal commitment to integrity and follow-through that ensures those expectations are met. Self-accountability transforms compliance into ownership. It closes the gap between having a responsibility and being responsible.
That sounds simple enough, but in practice, it requires more than good intentions. It requires self-awareness, honesty, and the willingness to receive and apply feedback even when it’s uncomfortable and hurts the ego. Self-accountability is the willingness to look at where you are, where you want to be, and what it’s going to take to get there–without waiting for someone else to lead the way. It’s impossible to hold yourself accountable if you don’t know where your blind spots are. That means reflecting not just on outcomes, but on how you show up: Are you consistent? Do you follow through? Do you listen when someone offers you feedback, or do you defend and deflect? Self-awareness doesn’t mean constant self-criticism–it means being honest with yourself and using that honesty as a foundation for action.
Too often, in my work as a human resources consultant, I hear professionals who are talented, driven, high-potential individuals express frustration with being overlooked or underutilized and not being considered for promotions with higher salaries and leadership responsibilities. This experience is especially amplified for those navigating the intersections of race, gender, class, immigration status, and disability, where systemic bias and unequal access to visibility magnify the challenge. Their ambition is not the issue–their identities are often what organizations fail to fully recognize or value. While these frustrations are valid, especially in systems, structures, and policies that do not always operate equitably and inclusively. I often ask a simple but uncomfortable question: What steps have you taken to move yourself forward?
Taking ownership doesn’t mean taking fault for everything. It means asking yourself: What part of this can I own up to? How did I show up in this situation? What could I do differently next time? These are the kinds of questions that transform setbacks into lessons and stagnation into momentum. Avoiding them might spare us the temporary discomfort of admitting we fell short, but it also robs us of the opportunity to grow and glow.
For women, BIPOC, immigrants, and first-generation professionals, this kind of ownership can feel particularly daunting. Many of us were taught to keep our heads down, work hard, and not create conflict to avoid being seen as difficult, hostile, or worse, getting fired. However, in today’s rapidly changing workforces shaped by advancing technology, shifting economic conditions, company restructurings, and evolving expectations around remote work and DEI, passivity can become professional invisibility. When you stay silent or avoid advocating for yourself, you risk being overlooked for opportunities, excluded from key conversations, and passed over for promotions. Your contributions may be solid, even exceptional, but without visibility and voice, they remain undervalued or unnoticed. In a system that often rewards visibility as much as competence, self-advocacy isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity for growth.
Here are two simple ways to practice self-accountability at work: 1) start by scheduling a monthly personal progress review and take 30 minutes to reflect on what you’ve committed to, what you’ve accomplished, and where you can grow and 2) set one stretch goal and one learning goal: challenge yourself with a project that pushes your current skill set, and pair it with a concrete opportunity to build new knowledge. These small, intentional actions can turn awareness into momentum and help you own your growth on your terms.
Organizations, too, thrive when self-accountability is embedded in their culture. A team that relies solely on top-down enforcement breeds compliance, not commitment. But a team where individuals hold themselves, and each other, accountable fosters resilience, innovation, and trust. That kind of environment doesn’t happen by accident; it starts with leaders modeling the kind of internal accountability they hope to see in others.
So, ask yourself today–not in judgment, but in curiosity: Where am I showing up with integrity? Where am I hiding? And what’s one thing I can do differently to honor my own potential? The path to high performance isn’t paved with perfection. It’s paved with self-accountability.