A leader I was working with recently came in frustrated.

Her team cared deeply about the work. They were thoughtful, committed, and genuinely invested in the mission. No one was disengaged. No one was coasting.

And yet — things kept slipping.

Projects overlapped. Priorities competed. Work stalled unless she stepped in to push it forward. From where she sat, it felt like an accountability issue.

“People just aren’t owning things the way they should.”

But as we slowed down and looked more closely, a different pattern started to emerge.

Everyone was owning something. They just weren’t aligned on what mattered most.

There wasn’t a shared system for how priorities were set, how work connected across teams, or where ownership actually began and ended. So people filled in the gaps themselves. They made decisions based on their own interpretation of what was most important. They worked hard — just not always in the same direction.

And when things didn’t land, it felt personal.

It wasn’t.

It was structural.

So we didn’t start with harder conversations or tighter performance management. We started with clarity.

What are the actual priorities right now?
How do they connect across the team?
Who owns what — really?
And what does “done” actually look like?

As those answers became clearer, something shifted.

Follow-through improved.
Duplication decreased.
The leader stepped back.
The team stepped forward.

Not because they suddenly cared more.

But because the system finally supported the way they were already trying to work.

Reflection: Where might you be asking people to be more accountable… when what they actually need is more clarity?