Login
The power of accountability to achieve your ambitious goals
The legal world is driven by deadlines, billable hours, and high-stakes decisions, leaving little room for anything outside the immediate demands of your clients or cases. It’s relentless, which makes it easy for you to lose sight of longer-term ambitions, writes Michelle Broadbent.
Michelle Broadbent
You are more than your caseload. You want to be growing your expertise, expanding your network, and living a fulfilling life in your downtime.
So why is it that some goals seem to stay perpetually on the to-do list while others are effortlessly accomplished?
The answer here is not to “work smarter” or “try harder”. The solution lies in leveraging something that’s often overlooked: accountability.
The benefits of accountability
Keeping your key priorities top of mind
Whether they’re related to career growth, firm expansion, or personal wellbeing – those ambitious goals often take a back seat to the day-to-day demands of the job.
Accountability is powerful, not because you lack motivation, but because it provides the structure to stay focused on what truly matters. Instead of being reactive to what’s urgent, you’re able to stay focused on what’s truly important to you.
My client, Jane, runs a boutique law practice. She used to wear her responsiveness to her clients as a badge of honour. When we started working together, she hadn’t had a weekend off for seven months. She had some exciting goals around scaling her practice but these were sidelined because she was giving all of herself to her clients. She needed external accountability to stay on track with her growth plan. Our regular check-ins helped her move from reactive mode to a proactive, strategic mindset.
Combating isolation in leadership
Like many women in leadership roles, founders and partners in law firms often find that it’s lonely at the top. The higher you climb, the fewer people you have to confide in or seek advice from. Accountability in the form of peer support can alleviate that isolation.
My accountability circles are filled with women across professional services who have no one else to share the realities of building their businesses with. These women need to be “on” for their teams and clients, but with their trusted circle, they can drop the mask and receive support and solutions from women who get it.
Overcoming perfectionism
The legal profession attracts women who are driven by a commitment to excellence. While this can be an asset, it can also lead to perfectionism, slow progress, or burnout. Accountability helps combat perfectionism by encouraging you to take consistent action – even if it’s not perfect.
One of my clients had spent months tinkering with her firm’s website. The result was basic and not up to her professional standards. She was stuck in a cycle of perfectionism, and no action was taken at all until her accountability circle opened their contacts list, shared details of a copywriter, and made her declare her deadline to finish the job. This shift allowed her to finally publish a website that truly reflected her business.
Practical ways to build accountability into your life
- Partner with a trusted colleague: Identify someone you respect within the legal industry who has similar professional goals. Schedule formal, structured monthly check-ins to discuss progress, challenges, and next steps.
- Join a professional network: Consider joining a networking group or masterminds. These spaces often incorporate accountability elements while offering the added benefit of networking and knowledge sharing. You may benefit from industry-specific groups, but don’t be afraid to connect with women outside your industry for a wider range of insights and experiences.
- Leverage technology: There’s an app for everything these days, so why not install your own accountability buddy? Your Apple Watch might keep you on track with your fitness goals, giving you a nudge when you’ve been sitting down too long. I use tools like Asana and my Google Calendar to keep me on track professionally when self-motivation is lacking.
- Track and measure: Schedule a regular time to review your goals. What have you achieved? Where are you falling behind? Holding yourself accountable through a structured review process can help you adjust your actions and stay on track.
Make accountability part of your 2025 success strategy
In a high-pressure environment like law, it’s easy to push your personal ambitions aside in service of your clients, your team, or your firm. Accountability is key to keeping you on track, even when your day-to-day demands try to pull you off course.
