Biblical Accountability for Business LeadersSample

Why Is Accountability Important?

Most of us don't think twice about our laptop microphone—until no one on the Zoom call can hear us. We don't worry about the database—until we accidentally click on a ransomware link and our organisation’s files are encrypted. In the same way, we often notice the importance of accountability in society only when it fails. It's usually only when an organisation collapses due to a financial scandal that we see the consequences of failed leadership accountability and how it can affect many lives.

The basis for accountability is stewardship: looking after what belongs to someone else and has been entrusted to us. But there’s something about the risks, long hours, inevitable disappointments, and personal sacrifices involved in leading a business which makes it difficult to believe the returns from the business belong to someone else. Reflect on your view of God, and why you might struggle to yield all you have to Him. Is it possible that on some level you don’t trust God, and you fear He’ll take too much from you? If we don’t deal with this owner/steward issue, accountability in business remains just a good idea and not something we wholeheartedly embrace. If we can get to a place of absolute trust in who God really is, then we’ll welcome accountability as we seek to honour Him with all we are and have.

The topic of accountability is frequently approached from a negative perspective. However, Jesus saw accountability in a positive light. In the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), the first two servants worked diligently to multiply the money entrusted to them by their master and were richly rewarded. God takes joy in our productivity and success when we wisely use the gifts and resources He has given us. Holding someone accountable probably won't lead to regret. Similarly, you're unlikely to wish you hadn't been held accountable yourself. Accountability leads to a greater harvest in your work, blessing both you and others. It's also important to consider what's at stake for your business or personal life if you ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit or the sincere feedback of a colleague.

We can fundamentally transform the marketplace and society through redemptive business practices and by faithfully serving God as stewards of his resources. Being in accountable relationships helps us honour God by seeking the 'peace and prosperity' of the cities, cultures, and industries in which God has placed us (Jeremiah 29:7). Thankfully, we can rely on God to lead us as we develop our businesses (Proverbs 3:5–6), and we need not fear the future. Even when we make mistakes (which we will), God's grace is more than sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Ultimately, because of God's love for us and His ownership of everything, He works all things together for our benefit and His glory (Romans 8:28).