How does it feel to be a Managing Partner in a law firm? Recently I ran a workshop at the Alternative Legal Management Summit on the topic of, "I'm a Managing Partner: Get Me Out of Here!". In preparation, over the summer I asked Managing Partners to answer a light-hearted, jungle-themed survey.
Why being a Managing Partner is like "I'm a Celebrity"
It’s a tough environment, suffering is assured, there's a potentially explosive mix of personalities…
.. Add in a paradox: you want to win, but you have to work together as a team..
.. And some extra jeopardy, some planned for, some alarming shocks…
.. and there is only one conclusion we can draw: "I'm a Celebrity" is written by a Managing Partner!*
*I'm pretty sure that assertion is not true.
As a Business Psychologist and former barrister I'm fascinated by the human skills which help us compete and succeed as lawyers. When it comes to being a Managing Partner it’s a complex story. It’s a strange position, often "first amongst equals", sometimes involving feelings of vulnerability, the incumbent having given up a large part or all of their fee-earning. Equally, it is also an undeniably powerful position, commonly described as wonderful and highly rewarding job.
The human condition
The analogy with "I'm a Celebrity" is apt. One way of looking at the show is an exploration of the human condition; a depiction of the struggle to survive under pressure, in the company of a bunch of people connected by a common description, "celebrity" or "lawyer". We see how each person copes, what they disclose of themselves, their strengths and weaknesses. And we see how the group forms as relationships develop and blossom, or not.
Importantly, we, the audience, do this from the safety of our own sofas. We experience the danger vicariously, our hopes and fears are managed for us, and we can predict, thrill and sympathise from a distance.
Like the TV audience, colleagues don't see the dull, arduous hours of work managing partners do because they are neatly "edited" out. They only see the condensed "highlights", the bits that touch their lives. The best, and maybe the worst, bits are what stand out.
Like celebrity contestants, Managing Partners enter their "jungle" with little overt preparation. Quite often the criteria for taking on the role is a willingness to step up (or a failure to step back!). Unlike the TV audience, colleagues are not party to on camera de-briefings, in which the struggles, excitements and successes of the experience are relayed.
Mixed messages
When asked what advice they had for future Managing Partners in my jungle-themed questionnaire, one person answered, "Do Not Enter!" another said, "Go in with your eyes open. Very open."
For others, however, it is a job full of "amazing opportunities". During the workshop, participants noticed this tension between the ups and downs of the role. In discussion, people expressed feeling, "frustrated", "overwhelmed" and "lonely", whilst also feeling "excited", "lucky" and "empowered".
Connecting & "winning"
The importance of understanding colleagues as human beings first was made clearly from the stage at the Alternative Legal Management Summit. The advice was to, "know your team" and to work on ways to communicate with them in terms they will understand. Be a human-being first. Just like in the jungle, this is how connection is made and relationships flourish. It is the strength of those relationships which is tested in critical moments.
Another excellent piece of advice was to communicate value. Sure, the fine detail, the hours of boring work, can be edited out, but the "wins", the triumphs of collective effort, the successes the Managing Partner enables, these need to be seen and heard in the business, so that everyone can share in the joyous moments, knowing in their hearts that they are safe and can trust their leaders.
Exiting the jungle
Without doubt the intelligence I gathered from the jungle survey and the room at the Alternative Legal Management Summit suggested that the job of Managing Partner is one people feel privileged and proud to do. Like the jungle, getting out is a challenge in itself (think vertiginous rope bridge).
Some people want to go back to the day job and let the limelight pass to another. Some are less certain of how to navigate away from that leading role. If you can survive and win in the jungle that is being a Managing Partner, many things are possible.
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