In-House Counsel

The Road Not Taken: Management Skills Part 2 (I Want To Hold Your Hand)

What happens when the blunt reality is that if you need someone to hold your hand, you won’t last long in the job you have?

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Last week, I wrote about the workplace reality for many lawyers. The profession as a whole isn’t winning any awards as a nurturing and stable work environment, and although the recession has brought some correction to the market, there will always be more lawyers right behind you lining up to be thrown into the meat-grinder called “a job.” The unspoken message is that if you voice discontent, there’s always someone younger and hungrier coming down the stairs after you.  

There are two ways to view this type of industry culture. One view is that if you can survive what others before you have survived then you have somehow proven yourself to be tougher, stronger, and more deserving of the job you have. The other view is that lawyers don’t know how to manage their support team (including other lawyers) and don’t see the value in providing strong, competent management.

I think the reality is a little bit of both: ego and incompetence. The fact is, there are certain personality types that excel in a stable environment. There are others who feel instability culls the herd of those who become complacent too easily. There are various ways to guard against premature complacency, but the confidence that comes from a stable work environment can’t actually be created in any way other than a stable work environment. With stability, many people can actually reach deeper into themselves for creativity, insight, and the confidence to pursue clients. There is value in managing towards retention in a legal department or law firm, just as there is value for retention in other business organizations.

However, odds are, you don’t have a good manager. Sure, the partner you work for may give you good work assignments. Your partner may even tell you “good job” on a regular basis. But is that actually good management, or is it more of a benign neglect? Many young lawyers have not had a professional career before practicing law and therefore may not know what good management looks like for him or her. In other words, young professionals may not know what they need and therefore, cannot know what to hope for or expect, much less request or demand.

So, what should you look for? Ultimately, a great manager should value you as an individual contributor to the team and his actions should reflect that overarching position. Therefore, mistakes are not malicious efforts to ruin his life, but errors that reflect you need more coaching on that issue. Furthermore, some investigation is necessary: was the mistake due to ignorance or overwork? Are there tools or tips of the trade that can be shared to prevent those types of mistakes from happening again?

Does your manager propel you forward on a daily or weekly basis? If yes, does this translate into a support structure for your career? Your manager, if you are fortunate enough to have a good one, can help you see where you can go and how to get there. Your manager can help you identify areas where you can grow and develop in a way that not only benefits you, but also the organization.

I know my audience here, and I am sure many of you are thinking, “If someone needs a grown-up to hold his hand for his career, he doesn’t deserve the job he has.” That misses the point. We all have blind spots. We all have room to grow. Frequently, those blind spots and areas for growth coincide, making it impossible for us as individuals, with limited perspective, to see where we can go and how to get there. A good manager can create a work environment that is stable enough for individuals to risk revealing their weaknesses and improving on them.

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Unfortunately, not everyone gets a manager like that right out of the gate. Even more unfortunately, most lawyers never get a manager like that. What happens when the blunt reality is that if you need someone to hold your hand, you won’t last long in the job you have? That’s when you have to figure out how to be your own best manager.

Celeste Harrison Forst has practiced in small and mid-sized firms and is now in-house at a large manufacturing and technology company where she receives daily hugs from her colleagues. You can reach Celeste directly at C.harrisonforst@gmail.com.

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