Patience and Perspective

“They’re smart and hardworking, but if I give them substantive work it nearly always needs editing and reworking.”

The partners I work with often say something like this to me about the high potential mid-levels with whom they work – with frustration and disappointment. Recently my response has been this: The difference between a 3rd year and a 8th year senior associate is 5 years. This is the same as the difference between an 8th grader and a college freshman. In both instances, the learning curve is both broad and steep – there is lots to learn rapidly. We don’t expect 8th grade students to produce college level work. We shouldn’t expect 3rd/4th year lawyers to produce senior associate level work.

To be honest, I said this initially off-the-cuff a few months back to a combative partner complaining about “kids today.” To my surprise, it was the comment that shifted his perspective and did so almost immediately. As he expressed it later, he shifted from viewing mid-levels’ work as deficient, to remembering that high level skills take time and investment to develop. Most partners respond similarly, moving from broad frustration to greater patience.