The fundamental problem with accountability
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👋 Hey, it's Kareem - Welcome to Driving Impact, my weekly newsletter for high-performance product managers and operators learning to become unstoppable.
I was copied in an email with almost 10 other PMs in the “To” field.
The sender had written a nicely worded email requesting help on three different projects, without identifying who the individual owners were.
Two weeks later, she sends a reminder on the same thread “kindly requesting support.”
Still… crickets.
This week, I want to address why shared accountability fails, and attempt to give you a plan for how to fix it.
Reading time: 3 mins.
You need to step up
Problem #1: The Co-ownership Trap
Here's what typically happens when you assign two people to own something:
Person A thinks: "Person B will handle it since they have more expertise in X."
Person B thinks: "Person A is the project owner, I will wait for them to lead this."
Maybe they’re being lazy, but the bigger problem is that there’s a fundamental flaw in how our brains process shared responsibility.
Psychologists call this "diffusion of responsibility"—the more people involved, the less responsible each person feels.
Problem #2: The Control Paradox
"I can't be responsible for something I don't fully control."
I've said this. You've probably said this. Most PMs have said this at some point.
This is a cop-out.
In complex organizations, you'll never have full control. That's not a bug—it's a feature. It pushes us to influence, negotiate, and lead without authority.
In my product launches, I never had full control over everything:
Tech team capacity was out of my control
Legal approval timelines were excruciatingly long
Partner integration timelines were consistently off-track
But I was still accountable for the launch.
Avoiding Accountability
Let's be honest about why we avoid accountability:
Fear of failure
If we're not officially responsible, we can't officially fail
It's safer to be the person who "helped" than the person who "owned"
Control comfort
We've been trained to only accept responsibility for what we can fully control
This mindset keeps us safe but small
Did I miss anything? Let me know what other patterns you observed.
Breaking these patterns isn't easy, but it is possible.
Here's what has worked for me and my teams over the years.
What you can do today
For projects with multiple owners
Designate a STL (Single-threaded leader) – You don’t want to chase 10 different people who are not regularly speaking to each other. Designate a STL who is responsible for disseminating information and keeping everyone on track.
Weekly Sync – Deadlines can be a great tool for getting people to commit. Put this weekly meeting on the calendar. Directly responsible people should be there and speak to their parts.
Document next steps with owners – Self explanatory, the person whose name is on there is expected to give an update the following week.
No action item leaves the room without a single owner and an ETA.
For initiatives with cross-functional dependencies
Own the outcome, not just your part – This will teach you to lead with influence and care about the team’s success, not just yours.
Create a dependency map – Track this every week with your stakeholders and make sure everyone knows how their roles impacts the others.
Have a backup plan for critical paths – If you can’t control it, you might as well plan for it.
Overcommunicate progress and blockers – This is a great way to pull in support from leadership and others who may have more expertise. Speak up and don’t by afraid to flag risks.
P.S. This is not a magic pill.
What strategies have you tried that worked (or didn’t)? Leave a comment or hit reply (I read every email), I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back in your inbox next Wednesday.
Kareem
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Well said. Here are a few that have worked particularly well for me and teams I’ve led:
Clearly define ownership early
When kicking off a project, I make sure every deliverable has a single owner. This means no vague “team” assignments—if a task is on the table, someone’s name is attached to it.
Accountability check-ins
Establish regular rhythms (weekly syncs or biweekly updates) where owners must report progress on their specific contributions. Even if a project doesn’t feel urgent, these check-ins create a sense of ongoing accountability. No one wants to show up empty-handed.