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- Transitions (13)
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20 May. 12
Could this be you?
Margaret
After a lifetime in the firm, Simon’s career as a partner was over. He was not yet 60, and the firm didn’t need him any more. The inexorable forces of de-equitising had arrived in one short, traumatic meeting with two of his colleagues, the bearers of the decision by the management committee. It wasn’t personal. And it certainly wasn’t anything to do with his competence and dedication. It was, well…”just the way things are in the firm we can’t justify your position or points any more”. He should have seen it coming. The signs were all too obvious. But he was not ready to go. He still felt energised, competent and able to add value to clients and the firm. Questions raced through his head. Could he afford not to work? How would he explain it to his wife and family? What would he do with the rest of his life? He had no particular interests or hobbies. His life was the firm–his firm after all. In the days that followed Simon experienced the gamut emotions ranging from of disbelief (‘why me?’), resistance (‘they can’t do this!’) and anger (‘after all I have contributed’). [ Read more ]
20 May. 12
Why no firm is immune from succession challenges
Margaret
My recent in-depth discussions with senior leaders of a cross-section of professional service firms probed issues relating to firms’ and individual partners’ approaches to what I term the ‘third stage years’. This Communiqué summarises and shares what I found.
27 Apr. 12
Best of the best leadership
Margaret
Over the years I have come to learn that outstanding leaders share several core beliefs and behaviours about people, organisations and their role. Many, many books and countless blog posts have been written on this subject so, well may ask, should I be adding to this mountain?
17 Apr. 12
New economy jobs for ‘older’ lawyers
Margaret
Much of my time as an executive coach is spent working with clients in the second half of their careers as solicitors.
These law firm partners love the law. They love working with clients. They have vast experience. They’re clever too. And usually they have endless energy. But they’re looking beyond what they currently do. And asking what’s next for me? Their questions deal with the transitions they want and need to make.
14 Apr. 12
More on step up by managing up
Margaret
As a thank you to all those who have written to say how useful you found the Step up by managing up post, here’s a link to a terrific supplementary resource.
John Gabarro and John Kotter are among the many great Harvard Business School professors. They coined the idea ’mutual dependence of the participants’ in what I call the master-apprentice relationship. Enjoy.
08 Apr. 12
Step up by managing up
Margaret
If you want make your way upwards, climb the organisational ladder, build your business or grow your practice, you have to learn to manage up.
The majority of my clients are pursuing careers in organisations characterised by hierarchical levels. As a younger manager or partner for you to move towards the top level you have to develop the skills and confidence to manage your supervisor or more senior partner. Three core elements are involved. [ Read more ]
15 Mar. 12
Personal growth lessons from ‘A Dangerous Method’
Margaret
All personal growth requires effort, willingness to try, to fail, to try again, learn and eventually grow from the experience. In common parlance, there’s no gain without pain.
All to often I hear mentors or mentees bemoaning a lack of progress and an absence of spark in the mentoring relationship. On the hand, I also witness inspiring examples of working together, making progress and producing results that would not have been possible without the mentor-mentee relationship.
Why do some mentor-mentee relationships succeed while others struggle, stutter and stop? [ Read more ]
28 Feb. 12
How to make the end a grand entrance
Margaret
Every day many partners in their 50s and 60s in professional service firms ask themselves this taxing question, “What’s next?”. The question refers to 10, 20 or even 30 years ahead of them, the era some authors now call the ‘Third Chapter’.
Whether consciously or not, the question worries them because they- and their firm – think in 20th century ways while facing 21st century reality. The new reality is much longer, more healthy life spans and the will to work for the individuals. And for their firms, it is the reservoir of talent and unique knowledge that resides in these individuals.
04 Feb. 12
Stepping up at the Australian Tennis Open
Margaret
A distinguished blogger in Forbes magazine caught my attention with a topical and insightful way of thinking about what should mentoring mean for those ‘stepping up’ into leadership roles.
As the recent epic struggles on the courts of the Australian Tennis Open dramatically demonstrated, competition brings out the best in a person in whatever she or he chooses to do. Using the Open as an analogy our blogger–Sydney Finkelstein, a professor of strategy and leadership at Tuck School of Business–questions the success of executive development in helping people ‘step up’? [ Read more ]
04 Feb. 12
Don’t let the New Year gift pass you by
Margaret
In the southern hemisphere, summer brings a unique opportunity every year.
First comes Christmas when our work life is (almost) forgotten as families reunite, share food and gifts, and we anticipate a New Year and a fresh start. Then comes January, now almost gone, with quiet roads and empty offices, gifting us the opportunity to reflect, largely unencumbered by work concerns, about how we want to live our lives.
Small wonder that most New Year resolutions are about giving more to those areas of life we’ve neglected – our health, our family, the people we mentor, our spiritual self. [ Read more ]