As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2021, the end-of-year exhaustion has, like an unwanted house guest, arrived early and is showing no sign of leaving. It’s probably not surprising, considering the eventful start to the year we’ve had and there is certainly a blurring of that “line in the sand” we drew when 2020 came to an end.
Toxic work cultures involving harassment and assault are back in the spotlight but are only highlighting the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dangerous workplaces.
There are many skills I learned as a coach that I wish I’d had at my disposal when I was practising as a lawyer and leading teams. The power of skilfully listening is one of the most valuable of those skills. This means listening without agenda or judgement, listening with an open and quiet mind and listening without planning and rehearsing a response in my head while I nod along patiently waiting for my turn to speak.
I recently visited a workplace where what struck me most was the mood. The office was tense. It was an open plan setting and I bet, had it happened, you would have heard a pin drop. There was no chit chat, no dialogue between colleagues and a strong sense of hierarchy and restraint.
Everyone is talking about resilience. Managers want resilient teams, ambitious individuals are actively trying to develop their resilience and our children are being ‘taught’ it at school. The pandemic has made the concept even more popular but I’m not sure many people know what it really means.
“I don’t need a cry baby, I need a f***ing lawyer!” I was in my first year as an articled clerk when a partner shouted those words at me. I’d let some tears fall after copping a tirade of insults from him when he’d found a typo in a document. While this encounter took place almost 20 years ago, similar interactions are still taking place in firms and corporations today, along with many other less blatant examples of poor leadership. In fact, a recent article in The Times reported that one in five lawyers have been bullied or harassed while at work.
After having my first child, my firm offered me a flexible working arrangement when I returned to work. I left the office at 4pm, hung out with my son until 7pm and then worked from home in the evening after his bedtime. I also worked from home one day a week.
I cringe when I recall all the emails I sent over my time spent in private practice asking to postpone a commitment because things are “super hectic,” “crazy busy” or “manic.” No doubt the image that formed in the mind of the recipient was of me in a state of frenzy, hair on end, blouse untucked, shoes off and kicked under the desk, lurching around the office in stockinged feet. Probably not far from the truth, but hardly an image that portrays dignity and leadership.
The ‘C word’ was present in practically every performance review I received from my early days as an articled clerk and trainee lawyer, later as a junior lawyer, a senior associate and eventually as a partner in a law firm.
20 years on and I’m regularly contacted by young lawyers who are seeking advice around career direction, career progression, specialisation, an international expat legal career and maintaining some semblance of work-life balance. Whereas I fumbled my way through the early years of my career; trusting my gut as to the direction to take, I thought it would be helpful to set out the top 10 things I wish I’d known as a young lawyer which would have helped smooth my journey up the corporate ladder.
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Coaching Advocates was established in 2020. We are passionate about helping law firms unlock the potential in their people and lawyers to create success on their own terms