I thought it would be interesting to hear from the powers that be for a change. I conducted an unscientific survey of people I know in senior roles at law firms and in-house and asked them to identify their biggest challenges working with juniors. I also asked, if they were being brutally honest, what they would say to their juniors.
Here are a few sound bites:
- If you’ve heard nothing but “good job” all your life, it’s hard to tell the difference between constructive feedback and personal attack. We’ve found that our students get incredibly defensive or emotional. For our last round of performance evaluations, we actually brought in counsellors to help us deal with this.
- I’ve been in this business for 30 years. I may not be smarter than you, but I am more experienced and definitely wiser. Please stop talking, listen and learn.
- You don’t have to prove anything. My expectations of a first-year associate are pretty low.
- I am supposed to tell you what to do. That’s how it works. Take emotion out of it. I’m not your wife or BFF.
- Associates get so focussed on the task that they forget that we are all working for clients. I’m not marking things up to make you feel bad.
- You’re going to deal with a lot of different styles and personalities throughout your career. Think of the people you report to as your very own thin-skulled person; you must take them as you find them.
- It’s not all about you. You represent 5 per cent of what I have to cope with in a day. I look to you to make my life easier, not bring me more problems, or worse, become another problem.
- Apparently, I’m demanding. Isn’t that my role as a mentor? We all have to meet demands. That’s how things get done.
- Associates are too passive about their careers. I can’t guess what your needs or goals are. It’s not up to me to give you the opportunity for advancement. It’s up to you to create opportunity by taking ownership for your own development.
- Once upon a time, the top-billing partner in this firm was sitting exactly where you are now and he made many mistakes along the way.
Here is what else my subjects had to say when I asked them to finish the question: “Dear junior, it’s your job to…”
- Ask questions and seek guidance when required.
- Manage horrible bosses and colleagues. That’s just part of the many responsibilities, pressures and challenges of the workplace. It’s a survival skill that you need to learn.
- Be confident in your ability. How do you expect clients to trust you or the firm if you don’t project credibility and confidence? Associates complain about their confidence being hurt by so and so. I don’t get it. Confidence is something innate that nobody should be able to take from you.
- Challenge me and point out my mistakes.
- Put up with my micro-management, sarcasm, criticism, long-winded anecdotes, flatulence, and unrequited advice. Sorry, your turn.
- Help me. Learn how to speak my language. For you “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is old school and “record” is a verb. It’s easier for you to adapt than it is for me.
Sandra Rosier is a former Supreme Court of Canada clerk who has worked at large firms in Toronto and Boston. Having come to her senses, Sandra currently works as a tax advisor at a Toronto-based organization. Her etiquette column for lawyers appears every other Monday at lawandstyle.ca. Got a question for Sandra? Email us.
Image: Kyle Flood via Wikimedia Commons.