Accountability and Change
“The bottom line is that a fish stinks from the head down.”
Start at the beginning… That would be the correct answer.
I’ve done consulting work for several companies, and there’s one thing I see everywhere: when things go wrong, everyone looks everywhere except the most obvious place – the top. But here’s the uncomfortable truth that most leaders don’t want to hear: when your company is failing, struggling, or having a hard time, look in the mirror first.
The bottom line is that a fish stinks from the head down. If your company is on the wrong path, if morale is low, if productivity is suffering, if you’re losing good people, the problem almost certainly starts with leadership. You can’t blame the janitor, the purchaser, or the front-line team when all major decisions flow through you.
But here’s where it gets interesting – most companies resist making changes because it’s uncomfortable. Positions might need to be shuffled. The owner or CEO might be at fault. Senior people might get their noses out of joint. Feathers will be ruffled. Asses will be kicked. And nobody wants to deal with that discomfort.
Do Not Put Things Off
So instead, they do nothing. They continue with broken systems, inefficient processes, and toxic cultures while wondering why nothing improves. They procrastinate on necessary changes because they’re afraid of short-term conflict, not realizing that avoiding the problem is making it exponentially worse.
Where do you start? Start at the beginning. That would be the correct answer, but it’s also the hardest one to implement because it requires honest self-assessment.
When I’ve worked as a consultant, I’ve discovered overlapping production, crisscrossing of employees, unsafe working conditions, repetitive tasks that could be automated, and countless inefficiencies. But here’s the kicker – these problems were rarely caused by the employees. They were caused by poor systems and poor communication from leadership.
The most common response I get when I point out these issues? “We have always done it this way.” And you know what? That’s actually the correct answer because it reveals the real problem – there’s been no one looking in to tell leadership that their way isn’t working.
I worked with one company where eight people were using eight computers that were so slow they only worked at 50% efficiency. The computers needed four hours a day just to render work, so employees spent half their time playing on phones while babysitting crashes. The solution was simple: half the employees and new computers. But when I presented this obvious fix, nothing happened. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
This is the reality of leadership resistance to change. Even when the solution is obvious, even when the math is clear, even when the benefits are undeniable, many leaders would rather maintain the status quo than admit they need to change.
But think about what this resistance costs. In that computer example, the company was paying full wages for half productivity. Multiply that inefficiency across multiple departments, and you’re talking about massive losses that could have been avoided with simple changes.
The fear that prevents change – fear of conflict, fear of admitting mistakes, fear of investing money upfront – costs far more than the changes themselves. Every day you delay addressing fundamental problems, those problems get more expensive and more entrenched.
Real leadership means taking responsibility for everything that happens in your organization. It means being willing to examine your systems, your processes, your culture, and yes, your own performance. It means making difficult decisions quickly rather than hoping problems will solve themselves.
When your company isn’t performing well, when your team is struggling, when your results are disappointing, start at the beginning. Look at the head of the fish. Look at yourself. Because until you’re willing to change what’s not working at the top, nothing else will improve.
The fish rots from the head down, but it can also be cleaned from the head down.
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