Being valued because you’re making important contributions to your firm or company and people around you perceive that is a key aspect of being successful in your career, according to Cynthia Pladziewicz in Professional Development Perspectives. In a recent post, she outlines words of wisdom from Linda Chanow, director of the Women in Law Center, for young women early in their legal careers.
Pladziewicz says Chanow challenged the group to change the statistics: 20 percent of women are state court judges, 15 percent are equity partners, 4 percent are managing partners and 22 percent are corporate general counsel. Here’s how she suggests changing that:
- Work Smart: Chanow suggests figuring out what your supervisor’s stressors are (by asking him/her) and then working on those legal issues to alleviate them. This will make you a go-to associate. And when things aren’t as busy? Take care of the things that matter to you.
- Be Strategic: Always be on the lookout for high-quality assignments, business development opportunities and mentoring, Chanow suggests. Things like volunteering to help the top rainmaker and seeking out multiple mentorship relationships will help to do so.
- Meritocracy Is a Myth: “Good work is the entry to success, but it will not get you to the next level,” writes Pladziewicz. She says Chanow suggests taking steps like understanding where the money flows to get a scope of your value to the organization and being strategic about skill building to get ahead.
