It’s been two years since stepping back from day-to-day agency life, and with every engagement, every conversation, and nearly every scroll through LinkedIn, I learn something. There’s some new nugget, data point or a signal of some kind that gives me something new to ponder as it relates to my new focus/obsession of elevating and adding value to the Account discipline. There was a point, at the start, where someone said to me,
“I don’t know if you’ve really nailed your message. Maybe you’re still working on it?”
As a matter of fact, I was (and still am) working on it. And today, two years in, I think I’m finally getting somewhere. But first…
I’ve had a number of smart, successful people try to explain to me that the only goal which matters (the one that gets the attention of agency leadership and unlocks resources) is driving growth. I’m on record and onboard with that as the primary value driver for the Account discipline. We should 1000% be actively building and empowering teams to function as proactive, business-focused growth engines.
But I can’t buy into it as the only value driver that matters.
Influencing Creativity has to be considered a close second. Yesterday I watched a WFA webinar featuring the founders of BetterBriefs as they presented their findings from a new study they call the BetterIdeas Project. “…the findings reveal concerning trends and critical barriers impacting the industry.” (WFA, March 27, 2025)
I quickly saw opportunities to remove barriers and lay a stronger foundation for better creative work, squarely in the wheelhouse of proactive, engaged account leaders. This includes:
- Championing utilization of the brief when discussing and evaluating ideas
- Asserting business, brand or some other nugget of strategic rationale to the ideas as presented
- Helping clients to provide clear, constructive feedback
Far from revolutionary, these things should be foundational to an account person’s job. But the BetterIdeas data would suggest that a concerted effort in these areas would go a long way in ensuring a better process and enhanced conditions for developing more quality, impactful work.
Leading High-Performing Relationships is a third and important value driver. In my initial research and in my book, I explored this relational value as ‘leaders of engagement and collaboration.’ But in hindsight, that doesn’t tie directly to the work or the business. This new articulation places importance on leading and fostering effective relationships – building trust, alignment and momentum – both within and with clients to power great work and business outcomes.
Taken together, these three priorities – driving driving growth, influencing creativity, leading high-performing relationships – form the backbone of what I now define as Account(able) Leadership.
They’re not just ideals. These are measurable disciplines that account leaders can – and should – be held accountable for. Because when account people show up in this way, they drive real outcomes. Not just for the agency. Not just for the client. But for the work itself.
Last month, as part of a webinar discussion hosted by myself and an accomplished, like-minded Account Leader, we asked people across disciplines to describe what it’s like to work with a great account person:
“When I get to work with a great account person, I feel like I have an ally and collaborator whose perspective adds value to the creation and selling of great work. Wonder Twins Activate.” – Executive Creative Director
“I have a partner with a complementary skill set, someone who helps test, position, and make the work stronger. It’s 1 + 1 = 3.”
This is the standard we should be setting. And it’s the shift I believe our industry urgently needs to make. Because when account leadership is underdeveloped? Others feel it too—just in a very different way:
“When I work with a not-so-great account person, I feel like I have another client in the room… and not a good one.”
“I have to do their job too.”
These aren’t just bad vibes. They’re systemic barriers that have been normalized over time. And let’s be clear: the absence of strong, accountable leadership isn’t cost-neutral—it has real costs, and they add up quick:
- Role overlap
- Growth stagnation
- Trust erosion
- Burden shifting
- Creativity blockers
It’s hard to assign a cost or value to that last one, it’s significance beyond measure.
The good news? We can change the entire equation by taking Account Leadership a step further and building Accountable Leadership. Accountable to growing the business, elevating the work, and leading effective relationships that make it all possible. And, while the hunger for growth and development opportunities are well known, strengthened accountability tied to those efforts is how the process shifts from a cost to an investment.
It is, after all, a strategic choice; a business decision and investment in time and resources that delivers returns: ROI, ROO, ROX, ROE…or some custom combination thereof. Developing and funding the learning experiences is just one part of the puzzle. Operational alignment and cultural support that embeds the new behaviors is another. So is the need for rigorous measurement and tracking progress among teams. These are the organizational accountabilities.
As active change agents, we have to build systems of accountability, and that accountability goes both ways.
It’s time to set a new standard, one that moves beyond soft skills and vague expectations. Accountable Leadership is about being held accountable for the three things that matter most:
- Driving Growth
- Influencing Creativity
- Leading High-Performing Relationships
These are not abstract ideals. They are specific, measurable, and learnable. And when we start training, developing, and evaluating our account teams against these standards, we don’t just elevate individuals, we elevate the impact of the entire agency.
Because better account leadership isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a business and growth advantage.
