“Success has a thousand fathers. And failure is an orphan.” (John F. Kennedy)
We’ve all felt it – internally within our agencies and externally in our relationships with clients.
It’s the growing trend where ownership is diluted, responsibilities are blurred, and successes and failures are often orphaned. This is a problem that, I believe, knows no geographical boundary. It is a problem that is unfolding across global markets.
This was the context for a recent episode of the PRGN Podcast where I had the opportunity to sit down with Abbie Fink to unpack an issue that’s quietly (but significantly) impacting the public relations industry.
The accountability gap!
The culture of deferral
Inside agencies, a culture of “collaboration” can sometimes be a double-edged sword. While collaboration fuels creativity and teamwork, it can also obscure individual responsibility.
When everyone is contributing, it’s easy for no one to be truly accountable. Deadlines slip, quality suffers, and ultimately, we fail to deliver the level of excellence we aim for.
This isn’t just about mistakes – it’s also about missing the opportunity to own and celebrate great work. If no one owns a project, who learns from it? Who grows? Who gets rewarded?
Clients aren’t off the hook
On the client side, we’re seeing similar challenges. Economic pressure is leading to tighter budgets, more reactive briefs, delayed approvals, and an expectation to deliver more with less. Yet, there’s often little acknowledgement of how those conditions affect outcomes.
When agencies are treated as vendors rather than partners, it undermines the shared responsibility needed to achieve meaningful results.
A partnership requires accountability on both sides. Agencies need to deliver – but clients also need to enable success by being responsive, clear, and collaborative.
Leadership: Accountability starts with us
As agency leaders, we have a responsibility to model the behaviours we want to see. If we avoid difficult conversations, fail to acknowledge our own missteps, or blur lines to keep the peace, we reinforce the very culture we’re trying to change.
And let’s be honest – many of us have, at some point, bent over backwards to keep a client happy, even when it compromises our people or our principles. The result? A ripple effect where teams mirror that behaviour, mistaking passivity for professionalism.
But what if we drew the line differently?
Rebuilding standards: PRISA’s Charter and the push for professionalisation
As part of my work with the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), we’re developing an Accountability Charter that aims to formalise these expectations – both within agencies and between agencies and clients.
While ethical codes already exist, accountability has remained largely informal, unenforced, and one-sided.
This Charter is a step towards professionalising the industry, not just in name, but in practice. It sets out to define what accountability looks like in real terms: timelines, roles, responsibilities, and yes – even consequences. The goal is not to create red tape, but to create clarity and mutual respect.
In the long term, we hope to see communication professionals in South Africa licensed in the same way doctors, accountants, and lawyers are. A regulated profession demands higher standards, greater responsibility, and shared trust.
We’ve already seen this work locally – the South African Freelancers Association (SAFREA) has successfully created publicly recognised standards for freelance professionals, including recommended rates and contract best practices.
Over time, these have become widely accepted by clients and agencies alike. That kind of clarity and consistency is what we need across the broader PR and communications industry.
We believe that’s not only possible – it’s essential.
Breaking the silence: The power of collective action
One of the most promising things I’ve seen is the impact of agency owners talking to each other more openly. When we started including IP protection and usage penalties in our client contracts, it raised eyebrows. But now, it’s becoming standard practice.
The more we normalise protecting our work, enforcing fair boundaries, and holding clients to the same standards we hold ourselves, the stronger and more sustainable our industry becomes.
Final thoughts
Accountability isn’t a buzzword. It’s the bedrock of trust, performance, and long-term growth.
If we want better work, better partnerships, and a more respected profession, we have to take ownership – of the wins, the failures, the uncomfortable conversations, and the standards we uphold.
And that starts with us.
Howland is the CEO of Alkemi Collective, a communications and marketing agency based in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Howland discussed accountability and ownership in the PR Industry with Abbie Fink, president of the US based HMA Public Relations. You can listen to the podcast at this link.
