Being promoted feels like such a big win when it happens. But there’s more to progressing your career than a shiny new job title and a pay rise. If you haven’t progressed in other ways, you’ll just face the same struggles as before, only now at a level where the stakes are higher and you … Continued
If you already struggle with work life balance, you may think progressing your career will make it worse. When opportunities come up, you think of all the late nights you work and the weekends you sacrifice. You think about the disrupted holidays, the quality time you wish you had more of with your kids. So … Continued
Have you ever had the thought you don’t want to progress your career? You are ambitious at heart. But all those things you’re supposed to do in order to progress – speaking at meetings, seizing opportunities, asking for feedback, networking, showcasing your value – these are such a trigger for your Imposter Syndrome, you see … Continued
Being promoted to a new position is a clear sign you’re progressing your career. But it isn’t the only one. Trainee. Associate. Partner. When I joined Allen & Overy as a fresh faced trainee at the start of my legal career, I thought those were the only indicators of career progression. It’s true that with … Continued
When you’re about to attend an important meeting with a client, and the Partner you are supposed to go with stands you up, this should not freak you out. As a lawyer there are certain things you can expect to happen in the lifetime of your career: You’ll be left alone on a deal. You’ll … Continued
Confidence – if only we had been born with it! But confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It isn’t innate. It’s earned. Earned confidence is the confidence you get from doing hard things, uncomfortable things, things you are afraid of doing because you don’t know how to do them yet. When you think about how … Continued
A few weeks ago, I walked into a crowded room of lawyers, barristers and judges. It was a champagne reception for the Nicholas Bacon Law Society 50th Anniversary Alumni Dinner at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The majority of people in the room were men of a certain age. Almost all of them were white. I … Continued
There are times at work when you don’t recognise yourself. You’re in a meeting. Everyone around you is talking and contributing. You want to speak up and join in, but instead you just sit there. Minutes go by. Sometimes hours. And you still haven’t said a word. Who is this person? It’s not because you … Continued
We are Imposters. Our Imposter Syndrome isn’t there to hold us back. It’s there to distinguish us. To elevate us. We are meant to stand out from the crowd. Imposters don’t succeed in spite of their Imposter Syndrome. We succeed because of it. It is our strength. We don’t think the cause of our Imposter … Continued
One of my clients was made partner last year. Her route to partnership was not what she expected. The first time round, she was the most stressed she had ever been in her life (her words). She sacrificed everything. Health. Holidays. Downtime. Self-care. Family time. And she worried every step of the way about what … Continued
