Traditional job descriptions hold agencies back by emphasizing activities instead of outcomes. When employees are told how to work instead of being empowered to decide how they’ll achieve results, accountability and ownership suffer. By defining each role’s unique objective, outlining intended outcomes, and giving people the autonomy and decision-making rights to shape their own responsibilities, agencies unlock greater engagement, speed, and performance. True accountability emerges when people design their own path to success.

Many agencies believe they have an accountability problem when creatives miss deadlines — but what they actually have is a management-style problem. When project managers dictate schedules hour-by-hour, creatives lose ownership over their work and disengage. True accountability comes from autonomy, not control. To build a culture where deadlines are met and great work thrives, agencies must shift from command-and-control structures to systems that empower creatives to commit to their own timelines.