self-doubt arise around whether they will make it as a partner or not. They begin to ask themselves questions, such as: “Am I justified as a lawyer?”; “If not partner, then what?”; “Have I wasted years of my life?” The worry and stigma attached to what their career will be like if they are ‘stuck forever’ as a senior associate drives their confidence crisis and impacts their work performance. The stigma around not making or taking partnership also impacts confidence. It is quite common that during a senior associate review process, if the associate being reviewed is asked if they want to make it to partnership and replies ‘no’, the associate in question starts to doubt career progression within the firm or even begins to question and reconsider their career in law altogether. If this is the case, the confidence crisis hits, faced with the uncertainty about the future of their career and what they will do if they leave law. Another area that impacts a lawyer’s confidence is through compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue comes about through empathic engagement with their clients. This primarily affects associates, as their proximity to clients leads them to open their hearts and minds to the difficult times their clients are going through. As a result, there is an emotional cost of caring for their clients, which increases their worry and self-doubt. Another way I see a lack of confidence manifest in lawyers is among senior partners who recognise they might have become somewhat ‘institutionalised’ within the firm. Although they are fiercely committed to the firm in question, their sense of self outside the firm can fade gradually, leading them to question their identity outside the world of law. Although these are undoubtedly some of the most talented, remarkable senior leaders, I have noticed when coaching them on a 1:1 basis that their lack of confidence arises when their identity is solely attached to being a partner at a law firm. The concern I hear from senior partners is the fear that, if they retire or move, they might lose the validation and social status of their leadership position. Their sense of Why is this issue particularly severe for senior associates as opposed to lawyers in other positions? A crisis of confidence is particularly severe for senior associates because they are on the partnership track. Many senior associates feel they are on a two-year interview process. A client of mine told me that the partnership track is like constantly being audited for two years. Not only do they have to perform well and meet and exceed their billing hours, but they also have to compete against their colleagues and impress other partners. Every day their confidence is being tested and it can feel overbearing on their self-esteem. It is also the time in a lawyer’s career where I see burnout most often. When a senior associate makes it to partnership, although it is a huge and remarkable achievement, it can also generate intense performance anxiety as the senior associate becomes the most ‘junior’ member of the partnership when, just months or weeks prior to that, they were the most senior member of the associate group. This transition can be particularly challenging to keep inner confidence high and performance anxiety at bay. What are your go-to methods for tackling poor self-confidence in the lawyers you work with? When a confidence crisis strikes, the best step to tackling poor self-confidence is first to assess the root cause or causes — a deep dive into a person’s confidence story is what I do to see what has eroded that confidence. In my experience coaching leading lawyers both on a 1:1 basis and in a group or workshop setting, there is always a defined time when confidence flipped the other way. The aim is to pinpoint the catalyst event that has had a subsequent ripple effect and then address the situation, dissolving the unrealistic views 64 LAWYERMONTHLY SEPTEMBER 2022 The Confidence Crisis is one of the most underrecognised concerns in the legal profession at the moment. identity and confidence is entirely tied to being a partner and being at a firm. Many senior partners confide that they realise they have neglected other aspect of their lives, such as passions or family, and are beginning to dread retirement, creating a crisis as they can feel trapped and lack the confidence to make the move into another career or retire. There are other reasons why confidence crises can also be severe among senior partners, which is another performance wellbeing area that does not get much attention. For example, many of my senior partner clients say it is “Quite lonely at the top”. Senior partner stops getting the mentoring and the sponsorship that trainees, associates and junior partners get. Once you get to the pinnacle of your career, who is your sponsor? Who is your mentor? A senior partner is a sponsor and mentor for everyone, but very few are that for partners, if any. This type of isolation as a leader can impact confidence. For example, who can a leader be vulnerable with? Who tells the leader off? Colleagues often hesitate to criticise their senior partner for fear of reprisal. Who does the leader lean on? As a senior partner said to me: “Every close relationship has me as the supporting person; who do I lean on?”
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