There is an undeniable connection between those who are driven by ambition and those who make it into senior positions. In the legal industry, this usually means that senior lawyers are the most technically capable – it doesn’t always mean they are the best leaders.
Good leadership is often pushed aside for the sake of personal goals. But truly good leaders are ambitious – not for themselves – but for the firm.
Your success as a senior lawyer shouldn’t be measured only by your personal achievements. The achievements of your juniors, as well as the contribution of your team to the firm, are equally important.
Unfortunately, in many firms, culture and technical progression of juniors often comes second to the ego of the partner, creating environments where micromanaging and short tempers leads to a lack of creative diversity.
This often comes about when leaders are anxious about how the quality of the work their juniors produce reflects on themselves. But it’s important to remember that you hired them for a reason – they can do the work.
The saying goes “hire the right person for the job, and then let them do it”. Besides freeing up a lot of your own time, giving your employees a little breathing room is a vital part of letting them grow and develop professionally.
If your team is putting out good work, it will reflect well on both you and the individuals you oversee. If your juniors are progressing well, you will be lauded as an excellent mentor.
The blame for a bad culture or unhappy employees is very rarely placed on anyone other the leader.
