Most organizations struggle with accountability. Either they lean into punitive, shame-based systems that kill motivation, or they avoid the topic entirely and hope things work out. Neither approach works.

In this conversation, organizational coach Lisa Gill and I explore what accountability actually means in progressive organizations and why it's one of the hardest things to get right.

We discuss:

• Why accountability feels so uncomfortable (and what shame has to do with it)
• The paradox of choice and responsibility: you can't truly say yes if you can't say no
• How to make commitments relational instead of abstract
• Why explicit agreements are essential (and how to create them)
• The difference between blaming and supporting
• Practical tools like confirmation practices and self-scoring systems
• How to have difficult conversations without making people wrong
• Why true accountability is actually an expression of love

If you're building a more human workplace but finding that people aren't following through on commitments, this conversation offers a different way forward.

Key insight: Accountability without shame requires friction and discomfort. There's no system that removes the need for difficult conversations. But when done well, it helps everyone become bigger versions of themselves.

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About Lisa:

Lisa is an organizational designer, coach, and host of the Leadermorphosis podcast. She works with organizations exploring more participatory and human ways of working.

Learn more: https://www.reimaginaire.com/

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Mentioned in this conversation:

• Peter Koestenbaum & Peter Block – ”Confronting Your Freedom”
• Doug Kirkpatrick – Morningstar & commitment keeping
• Mia Mingus – Disability justice activist on accountability
• Adrienne Maree Brown – ”Loving Corrections”
• Helen Sanderson – Confirmation practices
• Frederic Laloux – Self-correcting systems
• Jan Carlzon – ”People with information cannot help but take responsibility”