Career killers are much easier to stumble into than you’d think, especially if you are an in-house counsel. Learn what to avoid from a leading in-house counsel voice, Sterling Miller, who has seen his share of career killers over the years in law departments he has worked in. It’s key to always be learning if you want to stimulate career growth, and do your best to avoid burnout and deal with the procrastination that affects all working people. Being vigilant and watching for other potential steps in your career ladder is key, as sometimes you have to move outside your organization to move up – especially if you are looking for General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer jobs.
“I have been an in-house lawyer for almost 25 years, with a large chunk of that time spent as the general counsel. During my time, I have seen my peers and people who worked for me do some really great things and some really foolish things. I certainly did my share of both. As a manager and as general counsel, I often had lawyers ask me, “What are the things I need to do to get ahead here in the legal department?” This is an excellent question and one every manager hopes/expects to hear from their employees, especially those who show the skills and drive necessary to move up the chain. A good manager or more experienced colleague, however, also consider the flip side of that same question and is ready to proactively, or in response to a specific question, counsel in-house lawyers on the things they need to avoid doing to succeed in the in-house world. To cut to the chase, being an in-house lawyer is much harder today than it was 10 years ago, and the wrong move can be your first-class ticket to Unemploymentville. I know that over the long term, I was able to claim the general counsel chair because, among other things, I asked a lot of questions about what I should be doing, but I also listened hard when people told me what not to do or, if I did mess up, I learned the lesson then and there and did not repeat the mistake. That can be easier said than done, especially when the day is jammed with work that needs to get done vs. spending time thinking about what you did – or might do – wrong. I thought this edition of Ten Things should share my list of 10 things that can kill your in-house career…”
Source: Ten Career Killers For In-House Counsel at Ten Things You Need To Know as In-House Counsel Blog