Limiting risk is a core skill set that any competent attorney must master. After toiling through your studies in law school -- and, most likely leaving it with massive debt -- most attorneys leave with an inner determination to avoid any additional financial risk at all. That cautious mindset has usually been encouraged during law school, underpinned by foundational legal principles like stare decisis, and can become hardened by the fact that lawyers are almost always hired to, in one way or another, severely limit or, in a perfect world, outright eliminate legal risk.
If that weren’t enough, attorneys routinely work hard to mitigate risks in their day-to-day professional lives: reputational risks from public perception and client dissatisfaction that can result from unsatisfactory work outcomes, professional liability from potential malpractice, licensure risks from ethical breaches … the list goes on endlessly.
With all of the above in mind, is it any surprise that so many lawyers’ professional mindset can become so locked into risk avoidance that it overrides practically everything else?
Unfortunately, for lawyers seeking to move from successful sole contributor roles to leading an organization or team, or who are unhappy either with their current job or with the practice of law itself, a mentality obsessed with managing risk can become a career death trap.
After all, embracing risk is something that makes a leader truly transformational. It can transform a lawyer by fostering exposure to new opportunities and ideas, encouraging bold steps to enhance their reputation, spurring innovation (especially in technology), differentiating them in the market, and increasing personal resilience in the face of unexpected change.
What can a lawyer seeking to be a great leader or build a life that feels authentic, real, and genuinely free do both to limit and embrace risk?
⚡️𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙨 ⚡️
In Greek myths, the original twelve gods, called the Titans, ruled a world that was peaceful, stable, and seemingly without change. The Titans themselves were smart, powerful, and competent -- but very, very uncomfortable with change. In other words, their mindset was fundamentally risk-averse.
After hearing a prophecy that a new generation of gods would usurp the Titans, their leader attempted to destroy his own children. In other words, he did everything possible to eliminate uncertainty. He may well have been a lawyer.
The world changes whether we like it or not -- as the Titans found out. Using creativity, the mother of the younger gods found a way to keep her son Zeus alive. Rather than running away from risk by avoiding conflict, bloodshed, and pain, Zeus and his allies used creativity to fight the Titans.
And the new generation of gods used creativity -- a force that at its core, demands an acceptance of risk -- to build a more vibrant world once the Titans were gone. Unlike the organization that the Titans built, risk-friendly Olympians were able to build a world that adapted to change, pushed technology forward, and was infinitely more stable.
⚡️𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 ⚡️
As the Greek gods demonstrated, creativity is the secret sauce that can help you thread the needle between mitigating uncertainty and being the sort of leader who builds great things -- including a great life for yourself.
Unfortunately, attorneys rarely see themselves within the broad category of "creatives." But for those seeking to leverage our legal skills into the sort of leadership that becomes mythic, identifying yourself as a "creative," then letting that side of yourself emerge in full, will shake your ability to have an impact to its foundation.
The result is a greater connection to your work, increased resilience, and enhanced ability to innovate, both within yourself and for your team. What leader -- or anyone interested in making the most of their career -- 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 want that?
Reach out to me if you want to discuss more on becoming a leadership Olympian.
I want your future to be EPIC!
I'm Scott Mason, The Myth Slayer. I am an attorney and former C-Suite executive, coach, speaker, podcaster, and Master of the Mythic. I graduated from Columbia Law School and have spent years drawing on the full depth of a background spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to provide lawyers feeling stuck or stagnant in their careers or as leaders with a unique (and fun!) system to help them live a life that's epic.
Click here to discover more about me, my mission, and how it can help you.
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As always, a wise and eye-opening post to anyone looking to raise their vibration! 🌞⚡️