A few years ago, one of my prior firms was getting ready to merge into a larger one. I was a relatively new partner at the time, and the prospect of a new workplace, with new management and new procedures, was a bit daunting. To help the merger process along, the two firms set up several "meet and greets" for their respective partners—lunches, cocktail hours, and information sessions. I attended all of them, eager to meet my new colleagues.

The last joint meeting before the merger went live was at our acquiring firm's offices. I sat next to a senior partner from that firm and listened closely as the administrative folks went through a checklist of what we could expect in the coming weeks. When the meeting was over, I walked out next to the senior partner. He looked at me, and I made some small talk about how exciting all this was.