Don´t know where you are going? Go where you shine

A few weeks ago I participated in a Latin Lawyer event in Sao Paulo called “Elite” with members of several leading law firms in the region. I conducted a roundtable discussion about “A Culture for the Future of Law Firms” and I used as a basis for discussion a recent article of the Harvard Business Review (“A Leader´s Guide to Corporate Culture”), written by Boris Groysberg and other Harvard professors. We also conducted a survey with all attending firms to see which cultural styles were considered more applicable to that group of firms.

A very interesting finding of this survey was that a culture of purpose, where being purpose-driven towards a larger end is a distinctive feature, turned out to be one of the main culture styles that defined these firms (according to their leaders). In an industry where the individual has such a great importance and the “herding cats” principle is a constant challenge, it stroke me as unusual but very promising that leading firms can define themselves by their shared purpose.

Whether this was more aspirational than fact (which was a big part of the discussion), reality shows that finding a shared purpose is hard for lawyers, not only because of their individual traits but also because is difficult to find a purpose that looks different from those of competitors. We all do more or less the same kind of things. Could our purpose convey something different to the market? And if so, what should that purpose be? To make my point let me get to the movies.

In the film “One Day” a woman and a man meet and have a strong and instant attraction and bonding. But they became scared of that bonding and of getting too much involved. So they backed off and decided to continue as friends although it was obvious that their feelings indicated otherwise. For many years as their lives continued they stayed as friends but afraid to show their real selves and feelings. On very limited occasions and involuntarily those feelings came to the surface and that was when their best laughs, words and glances came to light. This was when they shone. Many years later they finally opened up and recognized that they were not meant for friendship but for love. So they got together but only to be separated again later, but this time by tragedy. Part of the anguish was to acknowledge all those years they had lost in not recognizing their true selves and what made them really shine.

Purpose (or vision, if you wish) is not just a general statement to include in a brochure. It can be a strategic definition of where you want to stand in your market, but that it still not the root of the matter. Purpose has to do to where your passion leads you to go, and that passion is ignited by what makes you shine. Where are you at your best performance? When do your teams and lawyers thrive with excitement and commitment? When do your clients feel that special connection with you that results in satisfaction, trust and loyalty? When do you give your best laughs, words and glances?

But of course, there is always the context. This romantic view of purpose and shining can always hit against the wall of reality and limitations. Our limitations. Economic and market reasons might limit the extent to where you can put into practice your passion and purpose. I recently had a conversation with a managing partner who was frustrated about how little clients respect lawyers´ work any more. “We have become simple service providers, not professionals. So now I just concentrate on making money”. As much as I can understand these frustrations, this sounds like a recipe for boredom and failure. But context should not dictate your purpose and passion. Those are what define you as an organization (and a person). Once you answer the call of your passion and what makes you shine, you can deal with context and limitations. Many times lawyers are too conservative, so they get scared and prefer to stay in their comfort zone. You might do ok with that and it certainly means taking less risks. But is that a professional life worth living?

Really successful firms have found a passion that turned into purpose that made them shine. That requires courage and honesty, getting out of comfort zones and dealing intelligently with context limitations. Success and satisfaction result from real passion and purpose. You get there when you shine.

So don´t compromise with friendship just because you are scared. If your best laughs, words and glances come with love, go for it. You will be smart enough to deal with context and limitations. Go where you shine. And don´t wait too long.