Move From Busyness to Business!
Written by Sam Abeysekera on August 31, 2022
As lawyers, especially female lawyers at or approaching the highest levels, there is little to no guidance on what you should do next to thrive!
But without some guardrails, you may get sucked into spinning your wheels while still not making the progress you deserve…
For example – in a recent law article, 70% of surveyed lawyers are concerned with work-life balance...and 43% of women lawyers note a toxic workplace culture vs. 27% among males!
So, here is a “quick fix” to help you take back control of the most important resources you have – your energy and your time. Let’s dive in.
Identify your “drivers for change”
Let’s start with exactly what “drivers for change” are – these are the areas that truly create success in your law practice.
Because the more we focus on these areas, the more progress will be made, and the better your success level will be!
Simply, being aware of what your drivers for change are, is a significant first step to actualizing them.
For example – if you're not signing the clients you wish, a driver for change will be a deep-dive assessment of what is working vs. not working, and finding methods to solve the latter. Or, compare spending a week on vanilla low-fee services vs. building premium specialty services that provide premium clients, higher fees, and are more fulfilling! Or, simply learning techniques to say 'no' to colleagues can create a lot of time - and therefore be a driver for change!
These are just a few examples from an infinite number of activities available!
Identify the “good enough” activities
Ironically, “good enough” activities are tough! Why?
Because they fly in the face of our lawyerly preference for....perfection!
These activities are so alluring (or mind-numbing!) that they leave perceived loose ends dangling in front of you, and if you’re not consciously aware of what's going on, they end up sucking way too much of your time and energy.
For example – internal emails are often mistaken for productivity. If shot from the hip (of course that never happens) they can make the writer feel like they’re taking action but often don’t achieve the efficiency we (or they) really want, or even an effective result!
This use of email can be a microcosm of broader cultural issues - such as poorly run internal projects that go round in circles for weeks, or months without enthusiasm, learning, or good results.
So do we ignore emails and internal meetings? Certainly not....
“Good enough” activities are essentially secondary activities – these activities allow success to occur, but do not create it.
In other words, if these activities are not done well enough, they will prevent success. BUT, there is little-to-no value in doing them better than “good enough.”
If you do “good enough” activities beyond what is needed, you will limit or reduce the time, effort or resources needed to do a superior job on the activities that drive progress.
So, how do we apply this to practice? As an example, you can certainly and perhaps should make that internal meeting with a colleague to keep good relations, but you can pull back a little on the help you commit.
Even with clients, certain tasks you perform e.g. reporting and updates, might not be that helpful or interesting for them, but take enormous chunks of your time. If so, we can offer to do less there (e.g. score a C) so we can spend more time on scoring an A on whatever they really want -- and watch for their smile!
When you identify your "drivers for change" and “good enough” activities, you prime your mind for what you need to focus on, and where you can pull back.
You may be surprised that your drivers for change come down to only a few essential tasks.
But also be prepared that they, too, will change!
It is a continuous cycle...
Sam Abeysekera
Sam is dedicated to empowering female partners and founders in the legal industry to break through barriers and redefine success. As the lawyer's advocate, she equips her clients with strategies to become seasoned rainmakers and thrive within the dynamics of law firm culture, all while maintaining balance and authenticity.
