“Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good.”
Malcolm Gladwell offers this insight into the work it takes to make successful people—and effective leaders—in his book, “Outliers: The Story of Success.” But it issomething that many newer lawyers do not always easily understand early in their careers.
When we graduate from law school, we are passionate about the law, motivated to succeed and expect a successful legal career. But as we launch into an intimidating world of unknowns, confidence sometimes begins to unravel: Will I like the firm or company I’m going to work for? Will I be as good a lawyer as I was a student? Can I do this?
A recent Forbes op-ed, “The Four Leadership Lessons Millennials Really Need,” offers helpful, relevant advice for professionals in all stages of their careers looking for advancement and leadership opportunities. And these general topics will be discussed during DLA Piper’s Global Women’s Leadership Summit on Sept. 29 and 30.
The author writes that both new and experienced professionals must understand and constantly remind themselves that a “calling” develops over time. Being a successful lawyer is not something that falls into your lap. Even if a lawyer has known for her whole life that she wanted to be an attorney, one’s career evolves and grows through education and experience.
Moreover, the most successful individuals form healthy, career-advancing habits early on and then build on those habits through consistent and focused plans for success.
Finally, successful leaders trust their gut while understanding that no one really ever has the right answer. They develop their own compass and simply trust that the decisions they make will be the right ones under the circumstances.