By Lorelle Viljoen
When I expected stronger accountability from my team, progress stalled. Not because anyone resisted, but because I had not clearly defined what I was actually asking for. I had named the outcome I wanted without showing what it looked like in practice, just to learn that people cannot deliver a behaviour they cannot picture.
That experience taught me something that no strategy document ever did: organisations are not changed by their plans. They are changed by what their people do every day. And right now, too few people are doing their best work. PwC’s Africa Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 found that just over 55% of African workers trust their management — five points higher than the global average. It is an encouraging lead, but it still means almost half of the workforce does not. Trust in leadership, as the Great Place to Work Trust Model makes clear, is the foundation of any high-performing culture, and trust is earned through behaviour, not intention.
Behaviour change is at the heart of how organisations drive exceptional performance and positive change. While strategies and systems set direction, it is people’s behaviours, how they think, act, make decisions and respond daily, that ultimately determine business outcomes. Meaningful behaviour change does not happen overnight, nor is it achieved through instruction alone. It is a deliberate, sustained process shaped by clarity, reinforcement and consistent, inclusive leadership.
Clarity comes first. Behaviour change begins with a clear understanding of what needs to change and why it matters. People are more likely to adopt new behaviours when expectations are explicit and the reasoning behind them is understood. This means defining desired behaviours, what they look like in action, and how they connect to organisational goals. Without clarity, change efforts fail, not because people are unwilling, but because they are unsure of what is expected of them.
I learned this directly. When my push for accountability stalled, the problem was not resistance; it was definition. I quickly learned that clarity requires more than saying what needs to change, it means showing what success looks like, linking behaviours to goals and providing concrete examples. Once people understood both the “what” and the “why,” confidence and commitment improved significantly. Accountability, it turned out, is not driven by pressure but by shared understanding.
Leadership sets the tone. What leaders model, reinforce and tolerate sends powerful signals about what truly matters. When leaders consistently demonstrate the behaviours they expect; through their decisions, communication and actions, those behaviours become the norm. Misalignment between what is said and what is done does the opposite: it erodes trust and undermines change.
I strongly believe you can never say one thing and do another. Leadership credibility is built in the space between words and actions. When a leader says one thing but consistently does another, it creates a disconnect that weakens accountability and confuses expectations. People do not follow intentions, they follow behaviour. It is in consistent, aligned action that leadership is truly experienced.
Systems must reinforce behaviour. Sustainable change is supported by aligning systems and processes with the behaviours you want. Performance development, recognition, recruitment and reward should all reinforce the same behaviours. When those behaviours shape how performance is discussed, how success is measured and how people are recognised, they become “how things are done here” rather than an optional add-on.
Repetition and feedback make it stick. Behaviour change takes time and consistent reinforcement. People learn new ways of working through repeated exposure, practice and feedback, especially during periods of pressure or change. Constructive, timely feedback helps people understand the impact of their actions and adjust. Equally important is space for reflection: room to consider what is working, what is not, and what to do differently. When feedback is treated as a tool for learning rather than judgment, people are far more open to changing how they work.
Psychological safety sustains it all. People are more willing to try new behaviours when they feel safe to experiment, ask questions and make mistakes. Some of my own most important growth came from working where it was safe not to get everything right the first time. Knowing I was supported when things went wrong, and that asking for help was encouraged rather than judged, built my confidence and resilience. Growth is not about perfection; it is about the courage to keep trying, with support behind you.
At Capricorn Group, where I am employed, meaningful behavioural change is not driven by once-off initiatives but sustained through a shared commitment to our internal culture — The Capricorn Way. It connects our people to a common purpose and shapes a culture where expectations are clear, behaviours are consistently modelled, and progress is reinforced through feedback, performance development and everyday choices.
When an organisation consciously aligns what it says, does and rewards, behaviour change becomes part of how things are done. Over time, these consistent actions shape culture, strengthen business performance and keep the organisation true to its purpose. Strategy may set the direction, but behaviour decides whether you ever arrive.
Lorelle Viljoen is Group Head: Leadership and Culture, Capricorn Group
