The Curriculum No One Writes

May 2026 | By Laura Flynn

Years ago, I worked with a leader who regularly talked about the need for personal accountability. It was woven into leadership meetings, organizational values, and performance conversations. There was no question that it mattered to him and the leadership team. At least, that was the message.

Then, one day, a senior executive made an exception for someone who consistently delivered strong results, but whose behavior had become increasingly difficult for others to work with. It wasn't a dramatic moment, but it quietly rippled through the organization. There was no announcement. No policy changed. I don't remember anyone expressing surprise. That struck me at the time, and it's stayed with me ever since.

That wasn't the first exception people had seen, and it wouldn't be the last. Looking back, I don't think people were reacting to that particular decision as much as they were fitting it into a pattern they had already begun to recognize. 

Organizations are full of moments like these. People notice when exceptions are made. They notice whether expectations apply equally. They notice whether difficult conversations happen or quietly disappear. They notice whether commitments are kept when circumstances become inconvenient. Over time, those observations begin to accumulate.

I've also worked with leaders who created extraordinary places to work. Their expectations, responses, and behavior were remarkably consistent. People didn't need to guess what mattered because they encountered it every day. The values they talked about were the values people experienced. 

That difference has stayed with me. I think values are essential. But I've come to believe that people trust what leaders repeatedly do more than what they occasionally say.

The longer I've done this work, the more I've wondered whether this is how organizations quietly teach people what matters. We watch, we notice patterns, and eventually, often without anyone intending it, we begin to understand what matters here.