In the demanding world of law, where long hours, high stakes, and constant pressure are part of daily life, Irene Kuo explains why building a “tribe” of supportive colleagues is key to helping lawyers endure tough days and truly flourish in their careers.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Irene Kuo, director of prime contract management at Fluor Australia, delved into how lawyers can gain invaluable support, perspective, and resilience by finding and nurturing their professional “tribe” within the legal industry.
Reflecting on her own experience, Kuo shared that finding her own “tribe” was critical to her ability to not only “survive” but also navigate some of the most challenging periods of her career.
“Finding the tribe really allowed me to survive law firm days as well as all the hard days at work,” Kuo said.
“That is really life-saving because at the end of the day, sometimes when you are in the moment, you are not always self-aware as to what is going around or your surroundings ... and [those] in and outside of your work circles are truly beneficial to give you a different perspective.”
For herself, she reflected on how powerful it was to have a supportive network to bounce ideas off, especially when facing complex or career-changing decisions.
“It really was super helpful as I was navigating through particular career journeys, and the really beneficial ones are the ones that you could bounce ideas off and what I call workshop ideas,” she said.
While you may genuinely enjoy your work, Kuo warned that no role is free from difficult moments, and with lawyers spending more time at work than most professions, she stressed the importance of building a trusted “tribe” where you can safely share ideas, seek support, and navigate challenges together.
“This cuts across most industries. You will always, regardless of how well you love your job, ... have good days and bad days at work,” Kuo said.
“More often than not, those of us who are lawyers or in-house lawyers do spend a lot more time at work than we do at home, for better or worse.
“So you do really need to try and find people that you can create a tribe of safety and just really have that connection. So that you can talk about work and really bounce off ideas and have a safe space to do so most of the time.”
While Kuo emphasised the importance of building a supportive “tribe” at work, she also highlighted the value of cultivating connections outside the office, offering a safe space to decompress and discuss issues you might not feel comfortable raising on the job.
“Sometimes you do need to build a tribe outside of work to be able to talk about more confidential matters or just things that you don’t want to bring up at work,” Kuo said.
For those in leadership roles, Irene emphasised that building a supportive “tribe” extends beyond personal wellbeing and can profoundly impact team performance. Managers who prioritise psychological safety are far more likely to foster engagement and boost productivity.
“Those of us who are managers or will become managers, I think this is a very important aspect to consider because once you have created that psychological safety, your teams will perform much better,” Kuo said.
“The productivity of your team will be much better because they feel safe and they feel belonged. Once they feel welcomed, their output is just so much better than if you have somebody who may not feel like they’re part of the team.”
