Accountability is the guiding principle that defines how people make commitments to one another, how they measure and report their progress, how they interact when things go wrong, and how much ownership take to get things done. Being accountable does not mean simply accepting responsibility and ignoring true cause-and-effect relationships. Accepting responsibility does not always equate with the bad decisions. Often there are many excellent choices and decisions made that one should also be held accountable for. Being accountable and holding others accountable is twofold in transformational leadership. A leader could help a teacher get an advanced degree to help them move into a leadership role. Some people think having a good excuse is acceptable for the leader, but Sam Silverstein shares that there are no excuses for a leader. They simply need to be accountable for their actions and change them, even if it requires leadership helping them make those changes.