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:
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