--- title: "The Entropy of Accountability: A Short Story | The Sales Blog" description: Accountability once lost, takes more energy to recover than the energy that would have preserved it. It works with business, & multi-lateral organizations. image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_245684149.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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At one point in time, people were [held accountable](http://thesalesblog.com/2014/07/27/the-leadership-playbook-relentless-accountability/) for working, and that work produced results.  This story on accountability began when things were going along fine, but then the accountability, little by little, was removed.  It was an intentional decision not to hold people accountable for the work or the results. Instead, it was the success that was being had that caused the leaders to change their approach. First, the meetings ended. The manager was too busy to have the meeting, and so were the people that worked for him. Everything was working so well, missing a meeting or two wasn’t really going to change their results. And why bother people with interruptions? Then, not too long after that, reporting stopped. No one was required to speak out loud what they did or did not do. Why should they have to? The managers and leaders had [a dashboard](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/03/02/three-types-kpis-need-episode-54/), and they could see hundred of metrics, and as long as you can count the things that can be counted, all is well. These leaders did not remember that most of what really counts can’t be counted, and the most powerful forces in the Universe are invisible to the human eye. Then, success ended, and what once knew only up, soon knew only down. A change was necessary. Everyone recognized what needed to be done. Doing what needed to be done proved to be much more difficult than recognizing these things. This is one of those short stories about leadership and teamwork where the people who needed to change and produce results were told that it was important. They were provided training, in hopes that it would rekindle inside them what had created success in the past. None of this worked, and no one understood why. One brave leader asked, “Are they being held accountable for the work that they should be doing?” Another leader replied, “[I don’t want to be a micromanager](http://thesalesblog.com/2016/11/11/salespeople-arent-lazy-theyre-poorly-led/). I am not that person. I want my people to take initiative, to figure things out for themselves.” Decay doesn’t happen over night. Accountability once lost, takes more energy to recover than the energy that would have preserved it. ###### Tags: [Leadership](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/leadership) [2017](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2017) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on September 9, 2017 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover (3)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(3).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=how-to-lead-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(3).jpg) ### How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book As leaders, we're faced with decisions everyday—not all of which are easy to make. Learn how to make those tough decisions, hold yourself and your team accountable, and build a legacy with How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2024-08-22T12:58:14 PM", "datePublished" : "2017-09-09 08:00:10", "description" : "Accountability once lost, takes more energy to recover than the energy that would have preserved it. 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