The Enshittification of Leadership Accountability: Why It’s Broken and How Courageous Leaders Rise Above It

James Powell
May 9
5 min read

Updated: May 10

The Decline of Accountability Isn’t the End of Leadership—It’s a Call for Something Better

While listening to CBC’s Who Broke the Internet? episode “Don’t Be Evil,” I couldn’t help but notice a familiar pattern. The episode explored the “enshittification” of platforms like Google and Facebook—the slow, deliberate decay of once-useful systems in the endless pursuit of profit.

It episode reminded me of recent conversations with some of our leadership coaching clients. Not about tech platforms—but about something just as critical: the slow erosion of responsibility, accountability, and courage in today’s leadership culture.

Photo of. a pig in a field with the words "Leading or Just Putting Lipstick on a Pig" superimposed

Leadership accountability isn’t quietly slipping away—it’s being dragged out back, beaten with buzzwords, and dressed up for LinkedIn like nothing happened.

We’re living in a professional culture where apologies are empty, consequences are rare, and leaders treat accountability like a PR stunt instead of a non-negotiable value. This is the enshittification of leadership accountability—and it can lurk in every boardroom, executive offsite, and corporate values statement that doesn’t hold weight.

The good news? You don’t have to participate in it. The better news? You can see it for what it is and rise above it—and redefine what authentic and courageous leadership looks like.

How Did We Get Here? The Root Causes of Leadership Accountability Enshittification

1. Virtue Signalling Over Values

It’s easier to toss out buzzwords like “authenticity” and “transparency” than to actually live them. Companies draft beautiful values statements and DEI pledges, but when it’s time to make hard decisions—silence. Talk is cheap. Accountability costs something.

2. The PR Apology Era

Cue the crocodile tears and victim mentality. We’ve entered the age where a carefully crafted public apology replaces real consequences. Leaders issue statements that say everything and mean nothing.

They “take responsibility” while taking zero real action. Or worse, their apology is crafted to make them appear to be the victim.

If your apology doesn’t come with taking responsibility and clear actionable steps of how you are going to help clean up the mess, it’s a marketing campaign—not an apology.

3. Comfort Addiction

"Can we just move forward and put this all behind us?", "Why are you being so emotional, let's focus on the business and move forward?". That would be nice, but we're human beings and not AI agents.

Accountability is uncomfortable. It forces leaders to:

admit fault
sit with discomfort
change behaviour

Many leaders simply aren’t willing to stay in the discomfort long enough to grow from it. You cannot lead and stay comfortable at the same time.

4. Performance Over Presence

Leadership has become more about how it looks than how it feels. We celebrate leaders who deliver q/q results but ignore the human wreckage they leave behind. Leadership becomes a performance—a highly curated version of “executive presence” that avoids vulnerability, side-steps hard conversations, and rewards image over integrity.

5. Employer Branding Over Employer Reality

Enter the EVP (Employer Value Proposition)—a perfectly packaged HR narrative designed to make the company look irresistible to top talent. Sounds good, right? Until you realize it’s nothing but corporate theatre and a talent attraction strategy.

Leadership signs off on flashy recruitment campaigns, polished “culture” videos, and values statements plastered on every wall—while behind closed doors, toxic managers thrive, poor behaviour goes unchecked, and psychological safety is a punchline.

It’s the classic case of putting lipstick on a pig. When a company's employer brand looks better than the lived experience, that’s not leadership—it’s a bait-and-switch.

Accountability Is a Two-Way Street

Let’s not pretend this only lives at the executive level. Accountability flows both ways.

You can’t demand transparency from the top while staying silent at the table. You can’t ask for honest leadership while avoiding hard feedback yourself.

If you’re an individual contributor, a manager, or even a senior leader—your street needs sweeping too.

Are you bringing the truth forward when it’s uncomfortable?
Are you modelling the vulnerability you’re asking for?
Are you willing to say, “Here’s where I’m contributing to the problem”?

You can’t build a culture of accountability by pointing fingers. You build it by standing up, speaking up, and owning your part—no matter your title.

Real accountability starts the moment you choose it.

How Courageous Leaders Rise Above the Enshittification

1. Own It—Fully and Publicly

Accountability starts when a leader stands up and says:

“I got this wrong. Here’s how. And here’s exactly what I’m doing to fix it.”

No spin. No diluted language. No “we could have done better.” Just straight ownership, followed by action.

2. Make Accountability Cost You Something

Accountability without sacrifice or action is empty. If you’re serious, prove it:

Outline clear actions you're going to take
Step aside if necessary.
Walk away from unearned bonuses.
Sit in the discomfort of real feedback.

Real leaders know that accountability isn’t a marketing tactic—it’s a value you’re willing to pay for.

3. Normalize Hard Conversations

Stop hiding behind comfort and a toxic positivity culture. Create teams where real feedback happens, even when it stings. Psychological safety isn’t about being nice—it’s about being honest.

4. Lead by Example, Not Just Policy

If you want a culture of accountability, you have to live it before you demand it. Your team doesn’t learn accountability by what you say. They learn it by watching what you do when you’re wrong.

Leadership Doesn’t Have to Be a PR Machine

Here’s the truth no one’s saying: Corporate values, employer branding, and even PR can be powerful tools for good—but only when leaders have the courage to live them.

The problem isn’t that these things exist. The problem is when they’re used to hide the truth instead of reveal it. When executives, founders, and owners have the courage to lead from integrity—not image—everything changes.

A values statement becomes a mirror, not a marketing slogan.
Employer branding reflects lived reality, not wishful thinking.
PR becomes a platform for truth, not damage control.

The enshittification ends when leaders choose discomfort over denial. When leaders trade polish for presence. When leaders finally understand that real leadership isn’t about being followed—it’s about being accountable.

Journal Prompts for Courageous Leaders

Where have I chosen comfort over accountability?
How does my leadership culture handle mistakes—do we own them or spin them?
What’s one area where I need to model accountability before asking for it from others?
How am I contributing to a brand narrative that doesn’t match the lived experience of my people?
Where am I avoiding feedback conversations that could create real change?

Final Word: This Is About Integrity, Not Image

The world doesn’t need more polished executives. It needs leaders with courage. Leaders who stop waiting for a PR or employer brand "strategy" and start doing the hard, human work of accountability.

If you’re tired of the performance, good. That means you’re still connected to what authentic and courageous leadership really is.

Now prove it.