No it doesn’t.
Most lawyers I speak to are not made stronger by thoughtless feedback, low level bullying, long-hours cultures, poor management practices and inefficient processes. Mostly these things undermine confidence, cause frustration and result in less resilient people. In other words these things do not make any of us stronger.
A lawyer’s career is their biggest asset. It is likely to be the biggest contributor to their personal wealth, to their family’s security, their personal well-being and their professional fulfilment. To say the least it is worth developing, cherishing and preserving; and yet far too often, so it seems to me, careers are largely unplanned and unstructured. Perhaps even more frustratingly careers are not invested in, but allowed to depreciate by the neglect of the lawyer, their bosses and inefficient, often attritional, work practices.
I find this a dreadful shame. It is a waste of talent and of potential that should be a concern to all of us who care that lawyers are not just contributing to the greater good, but that they manage their personal well-being in a thoughtful and sustainable way.
I think there are three golden rules for career management:
- Without wanting to sound too melodramatic, your personal mental health is key, do not neglect it. This is much more than mindfulness, although I am someone who promotes this when it is appropriate to do so. It is more fundamental than the slightly “trendy” mindfulness bandwagon. The likelihood is that we will now work for longer and harder than many of us imagined. We cannot carry on working punishing hours in a “do more with less” environment, and not expect it to be damaging at some point. We need to take care. Careers could conceivably last 40 or even 50 years now, it is impossible for our commitment to be relentlessly onwards and upwards.
- Be present and open to opportunity, don’t be compliantly driven, be experimental. Are you taking time to have genuine outside and fulfilling interests? Are you taking all your holiday? Are you planning for a sabbatical at some point? Are you thinking about gaining experience in a different type of role to broaden your opportunities and having a change of pace? My point is that you cannot just run. From small changes (like taking the time off you need) to significant role changes that take you in different directions, make sure you regularly pause and think, plan and pace yourself. The occasional meander and the odd diversion are full of opportunity too; don’t rush past your life.
- Get a mentor. Your bosses have an expectation of you; the good ones see the need to help you fulfil your potential, but essentially you are a temporary and replaceable component in a machine. While your interests align to the interests of the business all can seem great, but never lose sight of the fact that you are just passing through. You will be discarded at some point if you outgrow the role, if you fail to perform (whatever the reasons), if someone better comes along or if you wear out. For all these reasons, get a mentor. My strong recommendation is that your mentor is someone who is outside your world of work, but consider having a workplace mentor as well if that helps you. A mentor is not there to provide “tea and sympathy”; they should provide a safe place for you to talk openly and be an independent friendly sounding board. Someone who can gently challenge your status quo and your direction of travel. A place exclusively, selfishly for you.
In suggesting these things I do so with the privilege of having got through the major part of my career and to be looking back on a distance travelled. That does not make me wiser than anyone else, but it perhaps informs you of some mistakes I have made and continue to make. It certainly reflects some of the concerns I have every day in my mentoring work with lawyers far more talented than I could ever hope to be.
You see it is not about your talent, it is about how you think about your talent.
Look after it well and it will look after you. Be kind to yourself, because you are the only person who truly knows how you feel.
Some careers now look to me like a long drawn-out self-harm experience. Please do not let that be you. You have a life rich in opportunity, a contribution to make that can inspire, a chance to shine in many roles, developing yourself and others to fulfil potential we did not realise we had. Life must become more than a balanced scorecard, an appraisal system, a bonus-able objective or promotions every 3 years.
Live through your whole life, not just through the prism of a career, however tempting or pressing it feels right now. And, ironically, in my judgement, that balance, thoughtfulness and that presence of mind will let your career shine too.
Take the greatest care of yourself that you can.
Paul
