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Listen to this week’s podcast episode, Ep.219: Adaptable Leadership through Agreements, Accountability and Alignment, with Jay Williams, click here.
As a leader, you can lead with asking questions. It's what you ask, not what you say. You get people to weigh in and you kind of checked all these boxes and where they weigh in, they buy in, because ultimately you want commitment, not compliance. They do it because they want to, not because they have to.
Rethinking how we create clarity, commitment, and performance in modern organisations
This week I’m joined once again by Corporate Behavioural Strategist, Speaker, and Author Jay Williams for a conversation that goes straight to the heart of why so many capable leaders struggle to get consistent results…
We talk about adaptable leadership, what actually creates accountability and about why the issue in most organisations isn’t capability, motivation, or even culture; it’s the absence of clear agreements.
Jay argues that if you want performance, engagement, and trust, you have to move beyond vague or one-sided expectations and into something far more deliberate: alignment through explicit agreements.
It sounds simple but, as always, it rarely is.
Where Good Intentions Break Down
Many leaders assume alignment exists because roles are defined, targets are set, and meetings are held. But Jay suggests what we often call “alignment” is really just assumption.
People nod in meetings, deadlines are discussed, actions are implied. Expectations are formed, often only in our own minds. But implied expectations are not agreements.
And when there’s no real agreement, there’s no genuine accountability, just a recipe for future conflict and frustration. One of the themes we explore in today’s episode of the podcast is the difference between compliance and commitment.
Compliance comes from authority.
Commitment comes from shared clarity.
When leaders rely too heavily on positional power, ‘authority’, people might do what’s asked but not necessarily what’s needed. There’s a subtle but important distinction between someone doing a task because they were told to, and someone taking ownership because they agreed to it. Jay’s work focuses on closing that gap.
Agreements: The Foundation of Accountability
At the centre of our conversation is the idea that accountability doesn’t begin with consequences but with agreement. If two parties haven’t clearly agreed on:
What success looks like
Who is responsible
By when
With what standards or constraints
…then what exactly are we holding someone accountable to? And how?
Too often, leaders default to frustration when expectations aren’t met, Jay invites us to instead consider whether the expectation was ever truly co-created. An agreement is different from an instruction, it implies mutual understanding and conscious buy-in. It also creates space for clarification: What does “done” mean? What are the trade-offs? What happens if priorities shift? When should I…? How should we…? Etc.
This is where adaptable leadership becomes critical, because agreements are not always static, circumstances change, priorities evolve, teams grow, projects come and go. And just like your one-sided expectations would evolve alongside these, so too should the agreements you have with people. The difference is: agreements are two-way and further conversation is required when they change.
Adaptable leaders revisit agreements when this happens, to renegotiate if needed, to clarify, to update. They don’t weaponise assumptions or keep silent expectations.
Alignment Is a Behaviour, Not a Statement
Another powerful thread in our discussion is the distinction between values on the wall and behaviours in the room. Organisations often talk about alignment at a strategic level but alignment, in practice, shows up in behaviours. Are people clear about how decisions are made? Do they understand how conflicts are resolved? Do they know what excellence looks like in their specific role?
Jay says alignment is created through repeated conversations, not one-off announcements. It’s behavioural, operational and it requires leaders to model consistency.
If leadership behaviour contradicts stated values, people will align with behaviour, not words, and that’s where integrity either strengthens or fractures a culture.
Modern workplaces have changed.
Expectations have shifted, employees are more discerning about the environments they choose to contribute to. Top-down, command-and-control leadership struggles in contexts that require collaboration, innovation, and trust.
Jay makes the case that authority might secure short-term compliance, but it rarely builds sustainable performance.
Agreements, on the other hand, build ownership and ownership changes behaviour.
When someone explicitly agrees to a standard, a deadline, or a responsibility, they are psychologically invested; the commitment is internal, not imposed. This is particularly relevant in hybrid and remote environments, where visibility is lower and trust must be higher.
Accountability Without Blame
We also explore the difference between accountability and blame: Blame focuses on the past, accountability focuses on the agreement. If an outcome isn’t delivered, the conversation becomes:
What was the agreement?
Was it clear?
Did something change?
What needs to be adjusted?
This shifts the tone from accusation to resolution but it also reinforces psychological workplace safety. People are far more likely to raise issues early if they believe the response will be constructive rather than punitive.
Adaptable leadership requires firmness and fairness, standards and commitments matter, but the process by which we uphold them determines whether trust deepens or erodes.
Adaptability in a Changing Landscape
The business environment is increasingly volatile as markets move quickly, priorities constantly shift, and the pace of change and technology accelerates more and more. In this context, rigid leadership models struggle to keep pace.
Jay’s perspective encourages leaders to see agreements as dynamic rather than fixed. Alignment is maintained through conversation, not control. This doesn’t mean endless discussion or indecision, but clarity in motion.
When circumstances change, adaptable leaders recalibrate agreements explicitly, they don’t assume everyone automatically understands the new direction, and perhaps most importantly, they create systems where feedback flows both ways.
Practical Reflections for Leaders
If you’re reflecting on your own leadership practice this week, consider:
Where might you be operating on assumptions rather than agreements?
Are your expectations explicit, or implied?
When performance dips, do you revisit clarity before assigning blame?
Are your behaviours aligned with the standards you ask of others?
These are not theoretical questions… they’re operational ones.
Adaptable leadership isn’t a personality trait, it’s a discipline, a practice. And it requires deliberate communication, consistent behaviour and willingness to recalibrate when reality changes.
Final Thoughts: Integrity in Action
What struck me most in this conversation is how closely adaptable leadership aligns with integrity and the Leading with Integrity approach.
Integrity isn’t simply about honesty, it’s about clarity, coherence, people, and alignment:
Do our actions match our words?
Do our agreements match our expectations?
Do our behaviours reinforce the culture we claim to value?
When leaders operate through clear agreements, mutual accountability, and behavioural alignment, trust becomes more than a slogan, and in the best teams it’s a lived experience.
Authority might initiate action, but alignment sustains it.
If you’re looking to build a culture where accountability feels fair, expectations are understood, and performance is owned rather than enforced, this episode offers a practical and behavioural lens worth exploring.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic: Where could clearer agreements transform your leadership?
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Catch the full episode here: https://smartlink.ausha.co/leading-with-integrity/ep-219-adaptable-leadership-through-agreements-accountability-and-alignment-with-jay-williams-leadership-podcasts
Or, if you prefer video, then you can watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y4UwNL1WANg
Join me again next week for a conversation with Scott Abbott about his leadership experiences after conducting 10,000+ coaching sessions, among other things!
As always, thanks for reading, listening, and supporting.
Be a Leader Not a Boss!
- David
In case you don’t know me that well, I’m David Hatch and I’m here to help new managers and first-time founders with their leadership skills, so they can become leaders not bosses, lead with integrity, and build happier, higher performing teams, more effective organisations, and, ultimately: successful businesses.
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