The State of Leadership Accountability
The DNA of Accountable Leadership™
Our second research report on The State of Leadership Accountability reveals the nine leader behaviors that drive high performance.
Groundbreaking Leadership Research by Dr. Vince Molinaro, and Leadership Contract Inc.
As organizations continue to navigate complex market dynamics, it is the everyday behaviors of leaders that reveal the true DNA of accountability.
This report highlights the specific patterns of behavior that distinguish genuinely accountable leaders from the rest, and shows how those behaviors shape culture, performance, and trust.
Grounded in research, it shines a light on what successful leadership actually looks like in practice, and invites leaders at every level to reflect on how consistently they demonstrate these behaviors in their own work.
Be Among Those to Shape the Future of Leadership.
Stay ahead of the curve with insights that will shape how your business leaders approach their most challenging situations.
A common leadership challenge we see often – leaders want to improve, but they lack clear direction. The question remains: what specific behaviors will make an impactful and lasting difference?
The DNA of Accountable Leadership™ research report answers this question.
For senior executives, the takeaway is clear: accountability isn’t abstract. It’s a definable, observable, and teachable discipline that must be embedded at every level to sustain performance.
What you will find in this report:
Executive summary
- Through extensive analysis, we've identified the exact behaviors that distinguish leaders in high-performing organizations those operating in fragmented leadership models.
Part 1: The three levels of leadership accountability
- Leadership accountability isn’t a buzzword. It’s the engine that powers execution, culture, and growth. Ignore it, and you fall behind
Part 2: The differences by company performance
- Across all 30 leadership accountability behaviors, a consistent pattern emerges
Part 3: The DNA of accountable leadership: a Multidimensional story
- By comparing High performers to all others, a clear pattern emerged: certain behaviors consistently stand out as the defining markers of accountable leaders. We call these the DNA-9
How this research challenges conventional leadership thinking
- Explore in depth the three parts central to our findings.
Conclusion
- Implications for organizations and leaders
Research Methodology
- Understand how we conducted our research
Key Findings:
- Leadership accountability has multiple layers – it’s not just about individual performance.
- Top leaders focus beyond themselves – they drive accountability within their teams and across departments.
- Thirty specific behaviors emerge consistently – these are the daily actions that truly accountable leaders take to achieve results.
- These practices are learnable – any leader can develop these skills with the right guidance.