How Strong Leaders Build Accountability: Empowerment vs. “Leave Me Alone” Written by Megan Piper, Expert EOS Implementer • Updated: June 16, 2026 • 7 Minute Read • Original publication in partnership with Ninety.io In EOS®, we teach leaders that LMA® stands for Leadership, Management, and Accountability. But there’s a joke we sometimes share with leadership teams when we’re working through that tool: LMA doesn’t mean “Leave Me Alone.” Everyone laughs, but the truth is, that’s exactly what happens sometimes. I see this dynamic across a lot of leadership teams. And in my EOS practice focused on remote teams, it tends to show up even more clearly. When people on the same team work in different locations, leaders have to be especially intentional about communication. In EOS, we call that “keeping the circles connected.”Because when you’re working remotely, you’re not bumping into each other in the hallway, and you don’t overhear conversations

When I first engage with a client, most of the time they’ve reached out because of a lack of accountability in their company. They feel the problem is with their people, but it’s actually with them. That can be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s the first step in getting the business they want. When I ask them how they’re holding their people accountable today, it’s almost always after the fact. A key customer is lost. An overrun is produced. An order is missed. Accountability is given after a significant mistake instead of proactively on the front end. It’s about holding people accountable for the actions and activities that lead to the success we want. Things like sales calls, meetings booked, proposals sent, quality checks completed, and receivable notices sent. As well as holding accountability to the culture we want. Are our people exhibiting our core values? When we

Delegation: It’s not just a hiring thing Let me ask you something. When you started your business, what did you picture? I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t 80-hour weeks. It wasn’t being the last one to leave every night, the first one in every morning, and the person everyone comes to when anything — anything at all — goes sideways. And yet here you are. You’re doing work that doesn’t need you. You’re answering emails that someone else could answer, sitting in meetings that don’t require your presence, and handling tasks that — if you’re honest — you could train someone else to do in an afternoon. Meanwhile, the work that only you can do, the work that actually moves your business forward, keeps getting pushed to tomorrow. This is one of the most common and most costly traps I see entrepreneurs fall into. And it has a name:

The Hidden Cost of Misalignment Most leadership teams don’t become misaligned overnight. It happens slowly. A leader interprets a priority one way while another sees it differently. Departments start pursuing goals that make sense for their area but don’t necessarily support the company’s overall vision. Meetings get longer. Decisions take longer. The same issues keep coming back. Everyone is working hard. Yet the business isn’t moving forward as quickly as it should. I’ve seen this happen in companies of every size. Good people. Smart leaders. Strong businesses. The problem usually isn’t effort. The problem is alignment. What Misalignment Really Costs Misalignment shows up in ways that many leaders don’t immediately recognize. Lost Productivity Teams spend time on work that isn’t tied to the company’s highest priorities. Sometimes departments unknowingly duplicate effort. Other times they’re working toward objectives that compete with one another. Slower Decisions When leaders aren’t fully aligned, decisions

I’m sitting across from a leadership team of smart, hardworking people who have built something real, and I bring up the idea of a guarantee. Someone crosses their arms. And then it starts: “We can’t promise that every time.” “Some clients will take advantage of that.” “We’d need a ton of fine print to protect ourselves.” “We might waste money or inconvenience our team.” “Maybe one day, when we figure out our delivery model better…” I get it. A guarantee feels like exposure. Like you’re handing the keys to your business over to your most difficult customer and saying, “Have at it.” But the fear you feel about offering a guarantee is largely theoretical. And the cost of not having one is very real. What a Guarantee Actually Does A guarantee is not a legal document or a trap door for terrible clients. It’s a marketing tool, and an effective