No Excuses: The Culture Every Leader Dreams Of

LeadershipLeadership StrategiesNo Excuses: The Culture Every Leader Dreams OfByShep Hyken,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, author & keynote speaker.Follow AuthorApr 26, 2026, 09:31am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.No excuses.gettyThis is every leader’s dream!Imagine a culture where no employees make excuses … for anything! No excuses for showing up late to a meeting, missing a deadline, ignoring a customer request, dropping the ball on a project and more. Well, dream no more, because in this short article, I’m going to turn the dream into reality. First, let’s define an excuse. A quick Google search for the definition of an excuse turned up several options that can be summarized as follows: an explanation meant to justify or defend a mistake or failure.There is nothing wrong with sharing an explanation for a mistake or failure, as long as it is a setup to the plan for what to do about it. The explanation should be a reason, not an excuse, and the next words that we should hear are, “And this is what we’re going to do about it.” Sam Silverstein is an accountability expert and the author of No Excuses for a Day. His life’s mission is to eliminate excuses and help his clients build a culture of accountability. Silverstein’s new book will not only challenge every employee to stop making excuses, but also serve as a roadmap for creating an accountability culture.The Difference Between an Excuse and an ExplanationAn explanation by itself is an excuse. Silverstein says, “At the end of the day, you are going to own it or not … an excuse denies ownership.” But when the explanation is followed by how the issue or problem will be resolved, it stops being an excuse and becomes accountability.MORE FOR YOUExcuses Destroy TrustEvery excuse an employee or company makes chips away at trust and cred...