Community. Accountability. Integrity.

Walter McKenzie
Jul 8, 2025
2 min read

This is an ongoing series on The Worthy Educators’ Principles of Educator Agency and Efficacy and their implementation in our efforts to transform the profession. This piece addresses the non-negotiable right of principle 12, Accountability: expect everyone at the table to hold everyone else accountable for the good of the profession. See the accompanying infographic below and share this resource with colleagues. We invite educators everywhere to join us in this important work!

Watch the video accompaniment to this blog post!

In an era where seemingly anything goes, accountability is the underpinning to any meaningful definitions of progress and success. Accountability isn’t about punishment or blame; it's about building a community of responsibility, trust, and a culture of continuous improvement. Too often today accountability gets defined by the affordances and limitations of an organization’s systems, policies and follow-through on practices when it’s got to be about people…personally and as a team. We move forward together.

Being accountable means taking ownership of actions, decisions, and outcomes - both positive and negative - and being willing to answer for them. It involves recognizing responsibilities, fulfilling commitments, and correcting course when things aren’t going as planned. It means being reliable, transparent, and owning the consequences of your leadership actions.

What does effective accountability look like?

Acknowledging your role without making excuses or blaming others

Meeting deadlines, completing tasks as agreed, and delivering on promises

Being open and honest about your actions, decisions, and motivations

Taking responsibility for projects, tasks and personal performance

Being on time, dependable and consistent in work we do

Offering help and encouragement to those around you

Recognizing and respecting the boundaries of others

Contributing to team goals and supporting colleagues

Keeping others informed of progress, challenges, and any potential roadblocks

Actively soliciting feedback on your performance and using it to improve

Taking steps to correct any negative impact your actions have on others

What undermines great accountability?

Badmouthing and gossip

Pitting people against one another

Arrogantly pushing personal agendas

Finding loopholes that work the system

Shortcuts and hacks without the details

Behavior that undermines trust and safety

Fixating on frustration instead of seeking solutions

The bottom line? Great cultures of accountability thrive within a sense of safety and security where authentic, difficult conversations take place that spark curiosity, growth and innovation.

In summary