Article by Nkem Muoghalu

Sometime ago, I found myself standing across from a public service officer, ready to make an official payment. He looked at me and suggested I pay directly into his personal account. His reason? “No network.”

Something felt off. I insisted on using the official channel. Reluctantly, he agreed. As he reached down to process the transaction, I saw it: the Point of Sale (PoS) machine was tucked under his desk—unplugged and gathering dust. His last official transaction had been three days prior.

This wasn’t just a minor case of a “bad apple.” It was a microcosm of a larger, systemic crisis that plagues both our public and private sectors: the erosion of Consequence Management.

The Mirror Effect: Personal vs. Professional Integrity

In my years of consulting, I’ve seen this “unplugged machine” in various forms. It’s the sales representative who diverts company funds, or the operations manager who builds a “private business” inside their employer’s infrastructure.

We often critique our national leadership for a lack of accountability, but as leaders, we must ask: Are we mirroring the very behaviors we complain about?

If we yearn for a society that values integrity, we cannot wait for a “top-down” mandate. Transformation begins with the standards we set in our own homes and boardrooms.

Three Pillars of True Transformation

To move from a culture of apathy to one of excellence, we must address three critical tensions:

1. Patriotism vs. Apathy

We desire a thriving economy, yet many of us still jump queues or compromise shared rules for personal convenience. A thriving business environment is built on the cumulative weight of small, honest actions. When we bypass the “proper channel” for ease, we compromise our shared future.

2. Accountability vs. Complacency

It is easy to call for leaders to be accountable. It is much harder to hold ourselves—and our teams—to that same standard. In many organisations, “complacency” is the silent killer. When we stop measuring, we stop caring.

3. Excellence vs. Mediocrity

We want a culture that rewards hard work, yet we often critique without offering solutions. This stifles those who are actually striving for excellence. To reform an organisation, we must shift from a culture of “critique” to a culture of “co-creation.”

The Challenge of Consequence Management

The dysfunction we see in the public sector permeates every layer of society. When there are no consequences for evading accountability, we perpetuate a cycle of inaction.

As a business leader or founder, your “Consequence Management” system is your most important tool. If a team member realises they can “unplug the machine” without repercussions, your strategy is already dead.

 Embodying the Change

If we genuinely aspire to build a better future, we must collectively embody the change we seek. Every small action counts—whether in our homes, our workplaces, or our communities.

At NovaHeights, we believe that reform isn’t just about changing systems; it’s about changing the culture that operates them. Let’s inspire one another to uphold integrity and prioritise our shared progress.

“Struggling to build a culture of accountability in your team? Let’s talk about a Business Diagnostic that gets to the root of your organisational culture.”