When You're Accountable But Not In Control

Have you ever been held responsible for delivering a result while the decisions, resources, or approvals needed to achieve it remained outside your control? You keep following up, explaining, coordinating, and trying to move things forward. Yet the authority to resolve the problem belongs somewhere else. In this Insight Brief, Paul David examines the important distinction between accountability, decision-making authority, and available resources. You'll learn a practical three-part exercise for identifying the outcome you're responsible for, the decisions you're authorized to make, and the specific approval or resource preventing progress. Try it with one recurring responsibility and observe whether clearer boundaries reduce repeated coordination. Revisit when you're carrying responsibility for an outcome but need greater clarity about what you can actually control.