Self-accountability in the Literature of Leadership

Abstract

Despite theoretical and empirical evidence that self-accountability is necessary for effective leadership, there is a dearth of information in the literature for how leaders can effectively apply self-accountability with the goal of increasing ethical behavior. Thus, leaders may struggle to find meaningful ways to successfully practice self-accountability in their organizations. This paper provides leaders with a framework for increasing self-accountability as it relates to ethical leadership. Scholarly literature on self-accountability and leadership were examined and trends surfaced in three areas: self-identity, performance improvement, and personal wisdom. Practices are presented for applying these constructs that may result in increased self-accountability.