Former Google executive recruiter and leadership coach Ginny Clarke is urging professionals to stop waiting on others for validation and growth — a pattern she calls “outsourced accountability.”
In a recent post on her social media, Clarke explained that many employees rely too heavily on managers, annual reviews, or workplace structures to determine their performance, growth, and blind spots, rather than taking ownership of their own careers.
“Most professionals wait for their annual review to know how they’re performing. They expect managers to identify blind spots instead of seeking feedback themselves,” Clarke wrote. “I call this ‘outsourced accountability,’ and it’s silently sabotaging careers at every level.”
Clarke expanded on the concept in an accompanying video, breaking down subtle but common examples:
- Waiting for managers to point out weaknesses instead of actively asking colleagues for feedback.
- Relying on company training budgets rather than pursuing independent learning.
- Expecting others to assign challenging projects instead of proposing new ideas themselves.
She noted that the mindset stretches beyond the workplace and into personal lives — from waiting for a partner to create happiness, to blaming circumstances for bad habits instead of taking responsibility for change.
“Do any of these sound familiar?” Clarke asked viewers. “If so, you’re not alone. But you are limiting yourself in ways you might not realize.”
As an executive coach and conscious leadership expert, Clarke has built a career around advising leaders to cultivate self-awareness and personal accountability.
Her latest message reinforces the idea that professional development requires consistent self-reflection and proactive effort, rather than outsourcing growth to employers, relationships, or external factors.
