Adaptability as a New World Trait

I have been thinking a lot lately about the skill sets of The Greatest American Lawyer. Knowing that the Greatest American Lawyer is an ideal, I would be interested to know what our readers think about the capabilities of The Greatest American Lawyer. Just as Ayn Rand created the mythical Howard Roark and John Galt, we might all be well served to think about the ideal.

I am beginning to think that adaptability is amongst the most important traits for any new world lawyer seeking to innovate. We have lived in an age where patterns and norms are taught in the school systems and our societal norms. There was an economic incentive to make things the same.

In today’s information and technology-based world, standing still means being left behind. The Greatest American Lawyer would need to adapt quickly and easily between environments, capabilities, roles, projects and tasks. Let’s face it. Some people don’t adapt well. Change is perceived as a threat. Assuming that we are creating something better, continuing to strive forward for that "something" is imperative. A person can hardly move forward if they are standing still.

It also occurs to me that the Greatest American Lawyer would not be a slave to the workplace. Yes, he/she would understand the hard work required in order to achieve the ideal. However, there would be time for personal growth. There would be time for family. There would certainly be time for children.

I am sitting here at one of the greatest resorts in North America watching my eight, six and four year old sons play by the river and beg me to put down my Dictaphone so we can get to the waterfall pool. The temperature will be about 80 degrees today. It is time to play. Being able to switch between work and pool will be one of the most important tests for me today. I have a hearing tomorrow I have to prepare for. Of course, I have not started. Will I multi-task? Or will I simply allocate time to prepare later in the day. And in between events, will I adapt well? When I am working, will I be thinking about play? When I am playing, will I be thinking about work? The Greatest American Lawyer would adapt from one set of ideals to another. In fact, The Greatest American Lawyer would realize it was a single ideal being served on both tasks.

Comments

[RJON@HowToMakeItRain.com]

From one Ayn Rand fan to another, Kudos on this excellent article. In my experience, the key to achieving & maintaining the kind of work/life balance you are talking about comes from having the Right Kinds of Goals & An Appropriate Relationship with your law firm business.

THE RIGHT KINDS OF GOALS
I explained what it means for a busy lawyer to have the RIGHT kinds of goals in an article I wrote several weeks back entited How The Most Successful Lawyers Set The
RIGHT Kinds Of Goals. If anyone is interested in reading more on the subject, they are welcome to take a look. If not, I won't waste your time here but instead will get on to my next point: Establishing & Maintaining An Appropriate Relationship With Your Law Firm Business. . .

YOUR LAW FIRM DOES NOT LOVE YOU
Again, if you are interested, you can check out this e-zine article entitled DO YOU HAVE AN INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LAW FIRM?!?!. The short version goes like this. . . your law firm is your MULE, not your baby. It exists to serve your needs, not the other way around! No matter what you sacrifice to The Mule, it's never going to love you & it's never going to give you a hug :-(

HOW TO AVOID BEING EATTEN ALIVE
You avoid being eatten alive by The Mule by establishing the Right kinds of goals; That is realistic & measurable financial, social & professional goals, which as you may have guessed, I have other stuff to show you how to do that too. . . but two plugs in one blog posting is enough, I think! So just know this: It may take some creative out of the box thinking & some time, but you CAN create a law firm business that is in alignment with your true passions & interest. And when you do that, the transition between work & play becomes alot easier - I'm still working on "seamless."

Keep Up The GREAT work, "Greatest American Lawyer",

RJON

[law monkey]

When I am working, will I be thinking about play? When I am playing, will I be thinking about work?

I noticed, in one of your previous posts, that you had enjoyed The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying. Your comment, quoted above, reminded me of Thich Nhat Hanh's The Miracle of Mindfulness.

A passage from his book, on mindfulness (awareness):

"While washing the dishes, you might be thinking about the tea afterwards, and so try to get them out of the way as quickly as possible in order to sit and drink tea. But that means that you are incapable of living during the time you are washing the dishes. When you are washing the dishes, washing the dishes must be the most important thing in your life. Just as when you're drinking tea, drinking tea must be the most important thing in your life."

The bottom line: whatever you do, do only that, and let your mind focus on only that task. If nothing else, it will help you to maintain control over your thoughts and emotions, which will, in turn, give value to your work (or play).

Good book. You might enjoy it.

law monkey

[william.]

i want to be a lawyer, and a great one am in Nigeria in africa.Am schooling in Demonstration secondary school in Nigeria,pls i want to be your friend,so that i can learn from you please.................