Week 18. Accountability
Accountability, The First Step to Leadership
There comes a point in every journey when you must stop and look back, not out of regret, but in recognition of the lessons etched in the past. This week, I’ve taken time to reflect on something often spoken about but rarely embraced fully: accountability. It’s a concept that underpins personal growth, maturity, and, perhaps most importantly for me as a legal professional, leadership.
In my younger years, like many others navigating early adulthood, I didn’t always make the most responsible decisions. Living paycheck to paycheck, chasing weekends filled with distractions, and buying into the consumer trap left me with more stuff than I needed and more debt than I could manage. Rent and bills were often pushed to the bottom of my priority list. I defaulted on rent, neglected responsibilities, and, in the process, let people down. At the time, I justified it through stress or circumstance. But now, I see it for what it was, an avoidance of responsibility
Accountability means facing this reality with honesty and humility. This week, I made the decision to go back and thank an old employer who, unbeknownst to me at the time, had offered me far more than a job. She provided structure, support, and compassion. I didn’t recognise it then because I was too absorbed in my own struggles, but today I do. Her motherly approach planted a seed of self-worth that I only now fully appreciate.
I also reached out to a former landlord, a kind man whose generosity I took for granted. I fell into arrears, left without properly closing that chapter, and for years I carried that with me. I can’t undo the past, but I can own it. Reaching out to express remorse and a willingness to make amends is a small but important gesture. It's not about moral grandstanding; it's about closing the loop.
Leadership, to me, doesn’t mean being the loudest voice in the room. It means taking responsibility even when no one is watching. It means modelling the values we want to see in others: honesty, self-reflection, and courage to do the right thing, especially when it’s hard. As John C. Maxwell (1993) said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
In law, and in life, we cannot guide others if we haven’t first examined ourselves. The philosopher Socrates famously declared that
“the unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato, Apology).
For lawyers, who hold a special responsibility in society to uphold justice, integrity begins not in the courtroom, but in our character.
Accountability isn’t just a personal matter, it’s a societal one too. We often hear loud calls for accountability from those in power: Governments, politicians, corporations, institutions. And rightly so. Transparency and justice are essential pillars of any functioning democracy. Yet as I reflect on these demands, I’m struck by a question that’s stayed with me: are we, as individuals, holding ourselves to the same standards we ask of others? It’s easy to point the finger outward, to critique and commentate, but true accountability begins at home. Before we ask others, such as Westminster to clean its house, we must first look at our own. I don’t say this lightly, it’s uncomfortable, and often painful, to acknowledge our own shortfalls. That’s exactly why I’ve chosen to share these stories from my own life this week. If we want a more accountable society, it won’t be built on complaints, it will be built on personal responsibility, lived experience, and quiet integrity. Only when accountability becomes a daily practice, for all of us, will we see the kind of change we long for in our homes, our workplaces, and our country.
This week’s message is simple but powerful: honour those who choose to take responsibility. Celebrate those who own their mistakes, not because they’re perfect, but because they are brave. Accountability is not a sign of weakness; it is the foundation of growth, maturity, and leadership. In fact, it is often the very trait that separates those who evolve from those who stay stuck.
As I continue to improve myself for a career in law, I’ve realised that accountability is not optional, it is the baseline of credibility. We cannot lead others, advocate for justice, or build trust if we do not first begin with ourselves. Whether in our professional roles or our personal lives, integrity starts with self-honesty.
Let’s also take a moment to acknowledge this truth: taking responsibility isn’t easy. Sometimes, your efforts to make things right won’t be met with applause. You may not get the forgiveness you hoped for. You might even face rejection, judgement, or silence. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth doing. In Week 10, I explored how rejection can often become a catalyst for strength and resilience. This is the same, growth often blooms in the quiet, lonely spaces where we do what’s right even when no one sees or thanks us for it.
So here’s my challenge for this week, what have you, or will you, take responsibility for? Not just the things that are convenient or easy to admit, but the harder truths, the things we’d often rather forget or avoid. Write it down. Talk about it. Act on it. And when you see others taking those difficult steps too, honour them. Encourage them. Because those who take accountability are doing something rare in today’s world,
In an age where it’s easier to deflect than to reflect, owning your truth is never the easy option, but it’s always the right one
If my story resonates with you, please, let this be your invitation to join our Discord community, a space where honesty is met with encouragement, not shame. A space where accountability is respected, growth is celebrated, and support is freely given. We’re not striving for perfection, but for progress, together.
References
Maxwell, J.C., 1993. Developing the Leader Within You. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Plato, c.399 BCE. Apology. In: Plato: Complete Works, ed. J.M. Cooper, 1997. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, pp.17–36. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+apol.+38a
