You’ve made partner, now what? Five tips to get from leading lawyer to lawyer leadership
The Venn Diagram of “Skills you need to make partner” and “Skills you need to succeed as a partner” can be two quite separate circles. If you’re a relatively new partner, it’s likely that people leadership is now on your plate – and you may have had little or no guidance on what that entails.
Here’s 5 tips to help you move from a leading lawyer to lawyer leadership.
1. You’re a people person now – get used to it
Many of my lawyer clients tell me that they are not really a people person – they are interested in “the work”, and find dealing with “the people stuff” to be a distraction or a drain. I understand that. Career progress in law happens because you are an outstanding lawyer. The problem is, once you make partner, the work is, at least in part, developing, looking after, working through and leading people.
While some people love this aspect of leadership and relish it, for others it is a learned skill. That’s an important phrase: learned skill. It’s learnable, and it is a skill you can develop, not simply an innate quality you do or do not possess.
Refusing to accept this reality results in partners who hold on to too much of the detailed legal work and avoid “the people stuff”. They hit a capacity limit, and their numbers flounder. It also results in teams of unhappy people, high turnover of staff, difficulty recruiting … over time this can all add up to significant bad smell about your practice. And no-one wants that.
2. Accept “good enough”
Perfectionism is a huge issue for many lawyers. It impacts you on a personal level but also as a leader.
Those working for you are likely less experienced. They may not know as much as you about a particular topic, and may be slower to complete pieces of work than you would be. They may not be able to join strategic dots that seem obvious to you. They may ask a LOT of questions… or worse, none.
All of that is ok. You need to maintain an acceptable standard of work, and you need to allow people to get there in their own way. A thriving legal practice will be doing great work for clients. The work needs to be good enough, not perfect. Be mindful of the size of the gap between the two in each particular instance.
Once you become more senior, you may well find yourself in a leadership role working with peers or others who are significantly more experienced than you. Holding on tight to how you think things should be done will not end well. Ease up, be respectful of others’ contributions, and be willing to listen… which leads me to…
3. Be willing to be vulnerable
There’s a time and place in legal practice for bravado and shows of strength, certainly. But human connection and trust are built through authenticity. If you’re playing the long game, be willing to:
Ask for help
Admit when you don’t know something
Take breaks
Be genuinely interested in others
Laugh at yourself
4. Know when to change gears
A lot of my work involves helping lawyers – of all seniorities – to find ways to develop a healthy balance between their work and all the other things that matter in their lives. Some environments make that easier than others. Driving everyone to unrealistic standards doesn’t help. Don’t be the bad leader …. There are times to be focused on detail, risk and output. Know when those times are, and aren’t. And be mindful of how your daily choices are impacting others (and reflecting on you) . Midnight emails, weekend work, expecting people to be available whenever you contact them – it’s out of date and it doesn’t work
5. Cultivate followers, not subjects
Leaders have followers. Dictators have subjects. As you gained seniority in your practice you may have become accustomed to giving instructions and having people do what you tell them. Be wary of letting the added positional power of the “partner” title go to your head. In the time-pressured environment of a deal there may be an extent to which “command and control” leadership that engenders obedience is appropriate. But, think about how it feels when you are on the receiving end of that style of leadership…. It actively undermines
Loyalty
Engagement
Skills development
Curiosity
Creative problem solving
Subjects have to do what you say. Followers choose to work with you because it is fulfilling, and they feel like part of something that matters. To become a successful senior partner, your remit is no longer just client service. Think about how prepared you are to develop followers, and consider seeking out high quality coaching or leadership training to help you get there faster and more easily.
The move to partner is a huge transition and it’s completely normal for it to be challenging. Not understanding the importance of people leadership is a common derailer, but you don’t have to fall into that trap. If creating a thriving legal practice full of skilled, motivated, engaged lawyers is the goal, these tips can help get you there. Good luck!
Until next week,
Take care of yourself and others
Madeleine
PS If you’d like to work with me as you step into partnership, let me know. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.
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