Leader of the pack – how to get there

"Don’t ask anyone to work harder than you are willing to work," advises Linda A. Klein, the 2003-2004 chair of the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. Her counsel is part of a collection of resources that the ABA-CLE Career Counsel Web site has available as part of its "Lawyers as Leaders: A resource for new and upcoming leaders in and beyond the ABA."

According to an article by Kathy Morris that appears on the Career Counsel Web site, "leadership doesn’t have to start at [the] top." In her column, Morris quotes advice given to a senior lawyer in a medium-sized corporate law department who wants to improve productivity, "You need to focus on what you can do to effect those improvements, not on those things you can’t do without the boss’ initial direction and support." Among other tips:

• Get goal-oriented.
• Implement reusable, time-efficient tools to replace one-off, time-intensive practices.
• Commit to the success of others.  Make it your business to inspire others to want to come to work.

The questionnaire on the site asks respondents what qualities they feel are important in leaders, such as the ability to "make mistakes," "laugh" and be "willing to leave."

Explore these and other resources on the site.

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