“I’m not sure she’s ever going to cut it.”

I was waiting outside a not-quite-closed door, mortified because...

They were talking about me.

The conversation was between two partners that I worked for often. One was complementary, the other not so much.

The next day, after finding out that I'd overheard a piece of their conversation, the complementary partner pulled me into the office to say “It’s not you, it’s her.”

Let me be clear: I wasn’t perfect; I made lots of mistakes.

Which was to be expected (at the time, I was a baby lawyer in my second year of practice).

But the complaining partner was (let's just say) difficult to work for. When assigning work, she:

• Never gave clear instructions.

• Didn’t like when you asked questions.

• Changed deadlines (without informing you!).

• Hated explaining the bigger picture.

• Would often change the scope of the project.

And she expected perfection. So of course, she was never satisfied.

I lived on the edge of a panic attack for the 5+ years I worked for her. But I learned a lot about how not to manage people.

This woman was not a bad person. In social settings, I enjoyed her company. But she was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad manager.

And sadly, lots of lovely people are bad managers. I hate to say that's especially true for us lawyers.

Why?

Because it’s not always easy or intuitive. Also (and this one is a biggie)...

Being a good manager takes extra work and time. And we all think we don’t have the time to put the extra effort in.

Which isn’t true. Because it will save time down the road (and make your life easier).

Want to be a better (maybe even a great) manager, Friend?

It's doable. But only if you're willing to do the work.

My hope is that you're willing.

Which is why I'm covering the 10 most common management mistakes I see, and (more importantly) how to fix each one.

Listen to How To Manage People >>>here.

XO,

Heather