legal sanity

In my last post, I noted that self-knowledge is one aspect of the emotional intelligence (EQ) that’s integral to our success in the law. I’ve previously discussed why I consider self-awareness and self-expression elemental to effective lawyering. To forge lasting and rewarding relationships with others – clients, prospects or coworkers – we first have to meaningfully connect (or re-connect) with ourselves.

Through posts from Stephanie West Allen and Susan Cartier Liebel, I learned that a recent Harvard Business Review article on authentic leadership (order page) identifies self-awareness as “the most important capability for leaders to develop.”

Although she doesn't dispute this finding, West Allen does suggest that self-awareness may be a lofty goal because it's "elusive of definition and difficult to achieve."

I agree that self-knowledge is not easy to come by. It takes time to undertake this kind of inquiry. But, with persistence and some guidance, I think that self-awareness is something that most of us can gain to the benefit of ourselves and our business and personal relationships.

For people who resist the idea of isolated introspection, it’s reassuring to know that we can learn a lot about ourselves by interacting with people (clients, coworkers, friends and family) and engaging in activities (work assignments, business development, recreation and community events). By noting who and what regularly makes us feel energized and positive as opposed to depleted and negative, we get a solid idea of what we need from the practice of law and in life. Identifying our own needs in this way is a core component of self-awareness.