“The Difficulties Will Argue for Themselves”

by | June 2, 2004 | Articles, Leadership

Are lawyers by nature poor leaders?  This leadership coach thinks
so.  The counts of the indictment:

  • Leaders take risks; lawyers are notoriously risk-averse.
  • Leaders are deeply curious, and listen more than they talk; sound
    like any lawyer you’ve met lately?
  • Leaders are comfortable with collaborative "think-out-loud" decision-making;
    lawyers prefer the inexorable intellectual argument that leads to
    one and only one right result, far closer brethren with mathematical
    proofs than with inspiring (and initially inchoate) visions.

What’s to be done?

Recognize that "command and control," however appealing it is to Type
A’s in charge, is equally demoralizing and dispiriting to Type A’s you’re
seeking to manage.  Collaborate.  Listen.  Seek suggestions.  Define
problems crisply, ask for help, and shut up.

Finally, follow up—"busyness" is no excuse for lack of leadership.  Who
said being on the managing committee would make  your life more
convenient?

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