Leverage For Lawyers

Posted by Elizabeth Zelinka

Lots of lawyers are on the move these days for all sorts of reasons.  Some are fed up with Big Law and want a career that is more suited to who they are.  Others are fed up with their current firm and want to make a lateral move that will enhance their practice.  Still others are being told that the changing economy means that senior-level, non-equity players will no longer have a home in their current firm.

Whatever the reasons, every successful move is designed around the future and not the past.  While the past can be helpful in defining what we do not want, it is truly only part of the picture, and oddly enough, focusing on what we don’t want typically just gets us more of it.  The critical step for anyone making a change is to stop and ask “What is it that I really want?”  It is about looking broadly at career, life, and self and imagining this integrated picture to be exactly the way we want it to be.

This can be a tough exercise for lawyers, who are trained to generate endless lists of potential risks and problems with each and every scenario they consider.  When we work with lawyers in creating a future vision, nearly every great idea is followed by “but. . . .”  Left unchecked, most lawyers will talk themselves right out of every good idea they have, opting instead for the current circumstances, as intolerable as those circumstances might be. 

Risk-based thinking needs to be set aside when creating a vision for the future—limitless and “ideal world” thinking is the way to go.  Let doubt and worry give way to excitement and possibility.  Once the vision exists, the risks and problems stop seeming so important anyway. 

Elizabeth Zelinka is a Consultant and Career Strategist with Zelinka & Prince Search Partners.  She can be reached through her website at www.zpsearchpartners.com.

Similar Posts:

• Lawyers on the Move–Start with Your Future, Not Your Past

Tweet This Post