Managing—Self Awareness

Often times managing others means managing egos—yours, theirs and anyone else involved. Attorneys are groomed to believe in themselves, in their legal arguments, in their clients. We are trained to be confident when walking into a meeting, negotiations, a courtroom. So it comes as no surprise that attorneys have strong egos. Strong egos are necessary and positive when tapped at the appropriate time and for the appropriate reasons. There are times, however, when our egos should take a back seat. The same holds true for those managing (or attempting to manage) attorneys or any employee for that matter. When someone is caught up in the moment of “ego overdrive”, though, this reality can be difficult for the person to recognize.

For managers, it’s important to check in on one’s ego. Are you responding to a suggestion negatively for objective reasons or is it your ego responding? Are you presenting an argument or offering a position because it is in the best interests of the organization, or is your ego taking the lead? Or are the egos of your employee’s ego taking the lead? Neither is preferred.

When determining a particular course of action, it’s important not to allow egos to dictate the path. Seek the best outcome for those involved by pushing the competing egos aside. Obviously, this is easier said than done. Being aware is the first step. Self-awareness is followed by removing yourself from the situation and asking the necessary questions about yourself and the other egos involved. Look at the interests involved. How can those interests best be served? Instead of “either/or” solutions, think and brainstorm about “and” solutions.

Patricia Nemeth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). She earned her Juris Doctorate and Masters of Labor Law degree from Wayne State University School of Law. She is the founding partner of Nemeth Law, P.C. which is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2017. Patricia decided to start a personal blog because she wanted to write about topics other than the law.