As the profession continues to face a relentless pace of change, lawyers able to cultivate such a mindset will be better suited to cope and thrive. Lawyers can lay the foundations for a growth mindset by:

• Transforming failure into valuable learning opportunities;
• Boosting emotional intelligence to improve effective communication; and
• Embracing and acting on feedback.

Lawyers tend to be perfectionists. Although perfectionism can be a highly beneficial trait when you work in the law, it can also result in low self-esteem, strong self-criticism, and a crippling fear of failure. Not only can this hold you back in your career, but it’s also a strong indicator that you’re stuck in a fixed mindset.

One way you can break this negative cycle is by learning how to reframe failure as a gateway to success.

The first step in reframing failure is to understand that failure is actually our best teacher. Taking a step back and really looking at what happened, and what you would do differently in future, means you will gain valuable insights you can take forward in your career. In this way — however uncomfortable it may feel — failure is one of the most valuable learning experiences.

The second step in reframing failure is to consider how it can help you. In most cases, feelings of defeat mean you’re working at the edge of your comfort zone. Suddenly you’re forced to challenge your current skill set and are pushed to develop new ones. In this way, failure offers opportunities for growth we may not otherwise experience if we always “play it safe”.

Ultimately, reframing failure as an opportunity to learn is a great way for lawyers to build a growth mindset and is an asset for anyone seeking career success.

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Empower your communication with emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to identify, assess, and understand your own and others’ emotions, is the foundation of effective communication. Developing your own EI means you can cultivate empathy, successfully deal with difficult people, and manage clients with high-conflict personalities.

Building your own emotional intelligence also improves your self-awareness, which supercharges your communication skills. Many of the hallmarks of effective communicators, such as active listening skills, rapport building and using positive body language, will come more naturally to you when you improve your EI.

Increased EI also equips you to better understand your own emotions and manage them under pressure. You will also be better placed to understand and respond to clients’ and colleagues’ emotions, which in turn will help you build strong relationships and foster collaboration.

Embrace feedback

We often associate feedback with unpleasant emotions and the fear of being criticised — but it is also a valuable opportunity to learn and grow. But whether you are in a leadership position or at the beginning of your legal career, you need to get comfortable with receiving feedback. So how can you become more at ease with receiving feedback?

First, it’s essential to understand how to deal with your own emotions when receiving feedback. If you’ve received harsh constructive criticism, and are struggling to keep your emotions contained, remember that it’s always okay to say, “I need time to process this feedback. Can we revisit this at a later stage?”. This is a constructive way of providing space to deal with heated emotions and also allows you time to consider how you want to approach the feedback.

Secondly, when you receive feedback, always try to summarise and restate what you’ve just heard. This shows that you’ve been attentive and confirms that you’ve understood the core message of the feedback. In addition, this is a crucial step to ensure any plan of action you implement will holistically address the feedback.

A “growth mindset” is based on constant development and improvement. So developing the ability to hear, analyse and act on feedback positively and productively is a crucial step in your own growth and development.

Start building your growth mindset today with these popular courses:

•   Dealing with Criticism and Failure
•   Effective Communication Skills for Lawyers
•   Negotiating: Making a Match
•   Making a Deal: Effective Negotiation and Influencing Skills
•   Happy Lawyer, Happy Life
•   Enhancing Your Wellbeing in the Law
•   Emotions Versus Evidence
•   The Thriving Professional: Using the 7 Key P’s to Thrive in the Law