“Lead, follow, or get out of the way” is an expression which some attribute to Thomas Payne. Tommy died in 1809, so this is hardly a new turn of speech.
And yet, back in my law firm (and I suspect in many others), there were partners who never came to terms with it.
Sure, we had partners who were willing to lead. They would assume positions of responsibility and try their level best to drive the firm forward. I was one of them for a while. I even got a plaque to prove it, although granted they only gave it to me as a reward for stepping down.
Then there were the partners who followed. They brought in clients, billed their files, collected their accounts receivable, and pretty much did what they were told without making too much of a fuss, except occasionally when someone who was anxious to depose the current leader got them all riled up about something or other.
I was good with the leaders and with the followers. Every firm needs both types.
It was the partners who would not get out of the way that drove me bat-shit crazier. (I originally wrote “ crazy” but my wife told me that I was always crazy, so at best I can only blame them for making me crazier.)
These were the folks who would not contribute to setting firm direction, but as soon as that direction became a tad inconvenient for them, they would demand to know who the idiot was that ever approved it. These are the same folks who were easily inconvenienced when their assistants had to attend a training session, a junior went off on a scheduled vacation, or any other professional tragedy befell them. I can go on and on. The leaders know who in their firm is like that, and so do the followers. The only people who are oblivious are the people who will not get out of the way.
The Spiderman fans among us know that Peter Parker allowed a criminal to escape because he did not assume the responsibility for stopping him, and that very same criminal later murdered his gentle Uncle Ben. And thus did Peter Parker learn the fateful truth, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
Law firm Partners have great power to influence the future of their law firms. With that comes great responsibility. If you are a partner (or aspiring partner) in a law firm, ask yourself whether you are a leader. If the answer is no, just shut up and follow.
This article was originally published by Law360 Canada, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.