While Americans celebrate our national success in the swimming pool and on the gym mat, over in England many people are reveling in a different kind of sporting celebration. This weekend saw the return of the Premier League, Britain’s top soccer league, which once again sports iconic franchises and a dazzling collection of the world’s top players. I am not British, but I know the feeling of anticipation, hope, and excitement that accompanies the start of one’s favorite sport. The stadium grass never looks greener, nor the players more fit and eager to run around, than on opening day. We all love renewal, and the hope that accompanies fresh starts.
Making this upcoming Premier League season perhaps more interesting than most is the identity of the defending champions. In a league of behemoth clubs, nay global brands, like Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, a gritty team from uncelebrated Leicester claimed first honors last season. Universally celebrated as accomplishing one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time, Leicester City quite literally overcame impossible (as in 5000-1, the bookmaker’s equivalent of a first-year lawyer’s successful ascension to the Supreme Court bench immediately after passing the bar) odds to achieve glory. In hindsight, there are rational explanations for how Leicester was able to achieve such unanticipated success. But the more important question is the one their fans and the rest of the league are asking: Can you do it again?
The challenge that Leicester City faces is one that we also face (sometimes, but hopefully often) in our professional careers. Our successes may be more prosaic, such as securing a settlement in a hard-fought case, or finally closing a stubborn deal, or even getting a new client to try us out with a small project. Occasionally, hard work and some good fortune afford us the opportunity to celebrate bigger successes, such as making partner, or winning an appeal, or getting some kind of industry honor. While everyone understands the importance of taking the time to savor success, at least in some measure, many also encounter a challenge — namely, how to avoid a post-success hangover of sorts.
In fact, wrapping up an important matter, or reaching a career milestone — even if the result was a successful one — can leave a lawyer feeling rootless and anxious. We live under constant pressure to replicate our successes, but often forget that the best way to ensure future success is to actively plan for it. To that end, and inspired by an interview I heard with Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri on the Men in Blazers podcast, here are three tips for putting yourself in position for repeat success as a lawyer.
First, it can be very helpful, for a variety of reasons, to have a list of things you can immediately get started on when an existing matter reaches a successful conclusion. Maybe there are articles you want to write, a conference you would like to attend or speak at, or even an impromptu vacation you would like to take. Having some sense of what you would do if your schedule freed up and you had an opportunity to celebrate serves at least two worthwhile purposes. First, it gives you a goal to work toward when the end of a matter looks nowhere in sight, and provides additional motivation to reach a successful conclusion in the first place. Second, it can help you avoid the nagging concern about being idle that plagues ambitious lawyers, and which can contribute to feelings of depression or hopelessness. The benefit of feeling like you finally have a chance to accomplish something long put off will also foster a feeling of greater accomplishment, and build positive momentum for the next big (successful) project.
Next, it is important to realistically evaluate what contributed to the success you just experienced, and seek to replicate those conditions as best as possible. For example, Ranieri discussed the fact that Leicester City’s success led to some of their better players leaving for fatter paychecks at other clubs with deeper wallets. In his mind, the number one concern was finding replacements for those players, but not only by focusing on finding players of equal talent. Rather, his concern was of finding new players who were not only as talented as the players they would replace, but also of similar character. One of the overlooked aspects of any successful joint endeavor is the importance of working with people of character. So when we are fortunate enough to come off a successful result, rededicating ourselves to working with people of character is an important step towards the next success. We can think about the other factors that contributed to the prior success in the same way, and strive to put ourselves in as favorable position as possible for the next challenge.
Third, it is always important to avoid falling into the trap of thinking that what worked last time is easily replicated. In law, as in life, there are very few tried-and-true formulas for achieving a successful result. While it is important to stick with techniques that have proven effective in the past, it is just as important to avoid a slavish adherence to those techniques in future dealings. Instead, it is important to recognize that success not only changes you, but will likely change the way people deal with you. As a result, maintaining a flexible approach is important, even if the immediate result of a successful endeavor is your attempt to replicate that result as quickly as possible. Better to learn and improve than to stay static in terms of your skills and strategic thinking, especially when facing a new hurdle to overcome.
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Ultimately, we all understand how difficult it is to reach a successful result, even though we are not Olympians or top-flight soccer stars. What separates the true winners from those who merely get lucky on occasion is a thoughtful approach to planning for the next success. Let’s take the inspiration from our new athletic darlings to commit ourselves to a successful end of this year, and a successful career beyond.
Please feel free to send comments or questions to me at [email protected] or via Twitter: @gkroub. Any topic suggestions or thoughts are most welcome.
Gaston Kroub lives in Brooklyn and is a founding partner of Kroub, Silbersher & Kolmykov PLLC, an intellectual property litigation boutique. The firm’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation and related counseling, with a strong focus on patent matters. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @gkroub.