Secret # 3: Don’t “No” Everything
We asked lawyers enjoying extraordinary careers through good and bad economic times to share their Top Ten Secrets. Developing a sense of what risks to take was Secret #3. We described it this way:
Don’t No everything. Your skills for risk assessment and avoidance can too easily lead you to “no” instead of “yes” when opportunities come your way. Find a way to say yes instead.
Lawyers have highly developed risk assessment skills. Simply put, we can always see the potential downside presented in every situation. This skill set allows us to fashion safety nets for clients and avoid unnecessary pitfalls.
Unfortunately, our risk evaluation skills also lead to the oft repeated adage that lawyers are deal breakers, not deal makers. We flounder in analysis paralysis. We let too many opportunities pass us by because we’re worried about the negatives more than the potential.
Highly successful lawyers, those with long, satisfying legal careers have found a way to “Just say yes” when opportunity knocks. Saying no may keep you safe, but it can also keep you stuck. One strategy that’s relatively painless to start is to limit the risks of a new opportunity to levels you can comfortably endure. Another is to use visualization techniques to try on the likely outcomes of opportunities before you actually take the plunge.
Whatever techniques they decided to pursue, successful lawyers get professional help to educate and train themselves to make the most of their opportunities.
