Are you juggling more balls than you have time to think about?
By Colin Dworkin, Director of Programmes, Talaspect Talent Development
Seniority demands many skills. Somewhere near the top of the list is 'juggling' - often with an ever-increasing number of balls coming your way throughout the day from the sidelines. Expert jugglers move many balls in and out of their hands rhythmically and at great speed. Holding any one ball for more than
a moment (or stopping to think about it)
may bring all of the others tumbling down.
It may seem that the role of managing partner demands an equivalent turnaround; perhaps this is what others expect of you. Today's world of 24/7 instantaneous communication creates an expectation of instant decision making and responsiveness. But, many of the balls you juggle do require you to pause: you need to hold at least some of them for more than a moment and to spend time thinking about them.
This is not about procrastination, dithering or unresponsiveness; it's about carving out time to stop (even for a short pause) and think.
Wide-angled view
The pressure to respond fast tends to push us towards single-dimensional thinking and not exploring the issue from all angles. But, many situations are complex; you don't want to be left wishing that you could turn the clock back. Haste may mean failing to bring together important pieces of information, missing the facts that really matter or going along with decisions that really should be questioned.
Making time to think rationally
Sometimes, work presents situations that trigger strong, often negative, emotions (perhaps we are angry at the way a colleague has behaved in the office or are frustrated that work has not been completed by a colleague to a satisfactory standard). Although not necessarily wholly unfounded, these emotions can sometimes prompt fast responses which we may later feel were ill considered.
Pausing to think helps to keep those responses in check and to ensure we reflect on the situation with a 'cool and calm' head. Perhaps there are understandable or mitigating reasons for the disappointing behaviour or work standard.
Making time to think emotionally
Sometimes, we go to the other extreme and base decisions entirely on the rational and logical, bypassing the sensitive considerations that would become apparent if we stepped into another's shoes.
So, it is equally important to find those extra few minutes to anticipate and consider the personal drivers that will influence the reactions of those involved. A simple, perfectly rational decision to ask partner X to attend a client pitch might not sit well with partner Y, who sees himself as the client lead in that sector.
Recognising the issue, you may or may not change your decision. But, hopefully you will then handle the situation and the communications more intelligently.
Leveraging experience
Prioritising thinking time is also at the heart of your professional development in your role. Although there is much to be gained from formal training, some of the best learning is 'in the air'. The key is making time to reflect on yesterday's experience to draw down and capitalise on the takeaways.
Wherever possible, try to engage others (perhaps colleagues, a coach or other confidante) in the process. Reflective learning is at its most powerful when undertaken 'out loud' and others can also share their own experiences to enrich the discussion. Even an informal discussion might spark a groundbreaking thought. One potential format for a reflective learning conversation is provided below.
EXAMPLE CONVERSATION FORMAT FOR REFLECTIVE LEARNING
Thinking back: Think back to recent events: What has been interesting (e.g. an informative client care meeting), exciting (e.g. winning the client pitch), problematic (e.g. client complaint) or strategically significant) e.g a lateral partner hire to help the firm move into a new market)?
Setting the scene: What happened? How did those involved respond? What was the result? What was positive here? What could have been better? In what way?
Reflecting back: What was your thinking here? Was there scope to view things differently? What were your assumptions? Were they correct? How might a different result have been achieved?
The learning: What are the learnings here? Can these be generalised to other situations? How should I share the learning more widely with colleagues?
Finding time
The challenge is making space to think as you juggle. Could you protect two short slots every day for 'response thinking time'? Could you schedule an hour every week for 'debrief time'?
Finding those extra few moments to pause and think can make all the difference. From time to time, they may even pay dividends if they result in spotting the potential business opportunity that might otherwise have been overlooked.
Colin Dworkin is a former corporate
lawyer and now business psychology consultant at Talaspect Talent Development
(https://talaspect.com). He gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Dr Karen Lindall (karen.lindall@roodlane.co.uk) to this article.