I think we may have all shared the experience when taking delivery of a new vehicle we’ve bought of suddenly starting to see that exact vehicle, same color and all, everywhere. I have had that experience lately with accountability. 

A couple of weeks ago, I had an extended conversation with a dealer principal on the topic of accountability. He was complaining to me that his leadership and managers didn’t hold their people accountable to the level he would have liked. I challenged him on that perspective and shared that I believed it was more of a problem with him than his managers when it came to accountability. You can imagine how open he was to that idea. I suggested to him that if he were to hold his team accountable to the level of his expectation, accountability and performance would improve. As it turns out, he wasn’t inspecting what he expected.

 Ever since that discussion with the dealer, the topic has come up in many conversations and discussions with dealership personnel and my peers at Brown & Brown. The theme crept into each conversation: We need more accountability in our business. Not a revelation, to be sure, but lately it seems to be something that many in our industry agree on.

Essential Detail

As we move into the new year, many of us are setting goals or forecasting business performance.  Accountability should be considered as an essential component to any plan or strategy if we want to achieve goals and exceed forecast. I believe that when we have someone holding us accountable, many of us perform better than we would without it.  If that is true, and we all agree that accountability is important, why does accountability break down with such frequency in our business? 

I think the nearest mirror could provide the answer. Accountability begins with you and me. Whether you are a salesperson, sales manager, general manager, dealer or someone who writes articles for industry publications. The only breakdown in the chain of accountability that you can truly be responsible for is your link. Whether in personal life or professional life, only when we accept and acknowledge our responsibilities and own our outcomes do we have the chance to exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results. Accountability is the driving force behind achieving more in our personal and professional lives.  If you manage a team, having the discipline to hold others accountable and allow others to hold you accountable is fundamental to maintaining the chain of accountability needed to be successful in your organization or any organization, for that matter. 

Clarity Helps

For me, sustaining a chain of accountability in the dealership starts with clear goals and a plan to achieve them. In the variable side of the business, the chain of accountability flows up, starting with the salespeople setting goals and then working up to sales manager, general sales manager, GM and finally the dealer. If all are setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them, then communicating those goals up the chain and granting permission to those up the chain to hold us accountable, all are on the same page in performance expectations and the amount of effort needed to achieve them. 

The breakdown that occurs in accountability can be attributed to the presence of some things and the absence of others. When accountability is strong and consistent, people up and down the chain of accountability set clear goals, they own their mistakes and correct them, they meet deadlines and objectives, they take initiative and accept feedback with an open mind and apply the feedback at the earliest opportunity, and lastly, they communicate well. When these traits are absent, the chain of accountability breaks down. 

And Discipline

To maintain a high level of accountability in any organization, you need personal and professional discipline.  Discipline to accountability is not a sometime thing but an all-the-time thing. It’s also difficult, and that could be the reason so many think we need more accountability in our business. As they say, successful people do the hard things while unsuccessful people aren’t willing to do them. 

We’re busy, there is a lot going on, and priorities shift and change, but if you want to raise the level of accountability in your organization in 2026, remember, it begins with you.

John Tabar serves as executive director of training for Brown & Brown.