Earlier this year, I worked with a partner I’ll call Jason. He was brilliant, respected in his field, no problem attracting high-stakes work. But when it came to leading and managing people, things were challenging. Associates were frustrated. Deadlines were missed. Tensions were building up.
“I don’t get it,” he told me. “Yes, I have high standards and expect perfection. But I give people space. I don’t micromanage.”
Exactly. That was the problem.
Jason was leading the way he wanted to be led. But that didn’t work for everyone on his team. And until he understood his own leadership style, triggers, and blind spots, he was going to keep repeating the same patterns.
This is where real leadership begins: not with managing others, but with knowing yourself.
Great Leadership Starts With Self-Leadership
Most lawyers haven’t been taught to lead. They were trained to analyze, argue, and solve complex problems under pressure. And that gets them far.
But after promotion to partnership (and even before for many lawyers), they are expected to manage and lead people. And suddenly, intellect and effort aren’t enough.
That’s when many lawyers hit a wall. Because leadership is no longer just about what you do, it’s about who you are.
To paraphrase the founder of modern management theory, Peter Drucker: Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves — their strengths, their values, and how they best perform.
Four Things You Need to Know About Yourself as a Leader
1. Your Natural Leadership Style
Before you can lead others effectively, you need a clear understanding of how you lead. Every leader brings a unique set of instincts, tendencies, and habits to the table with some that propel them forward and others that may hold them back.
Understanding your natural leadership style isn’t about self-indulgence. It’s about awareness. When you know how you show up under pressure, how you prefer to make decisions, and how others are likely to interpret your behavior, you gain an enormous advantage: the ability to adapt without losing authenticity.
One of the tools we use to help uncover your natural leadership style is the DiSC Personality Profile assessment. With a nearly 100-year history and millions of users worldwide, the DiSC model is a scientifically validated framework that reveals patterns in how people lead, communicate, and respond to stress.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the four primary styles:
- D (Dominance) – Fast-paced, results-driven, direct. Under pressure, can become blunt or impatient.
- i (Influence) – People-oriented, enthusiastic, collaborative. Under pressure, can avoid conflict or lack follow-through.
- S (Steadiness) – Supportive, calm, dependable. Under pressure, may resist change or avoid difficult conversations.
- C (Conscientiousness) – Analytical, detail-focused, quality-oriented. Under pressure, can become perfectionistic or overly critical.
Your style is not a box; it’s a starting point. The goal isn’t to label, but to give you a practical lens to better understand what energizes you, what drains you, and how others might experience your behavior in different contexts.
Curious about your style? We can help you explore it here.
2. Your Core Values and Motivators
What truly drives you? Why do you do what you do, beyond your paycheck or professional reputation?
For some lawyers, it’s the pursuit of excellence. For others, it’s autonomy, learning, influence, collaboration, or justice. Your values act as an internal compass, guiding your decisions and shaping your leadership presence, even when you’re not consciously aware of them.
When your day-to-day work and leadership approach align with your values, you feel grounded and energized. But when your actions conflict with what you care about most, you can find yourself feeling frustrated, disengaged, or reactive, and often unable to explain why.
That’s why clarifying your values isn’t just a personal exercise—it’s essential leadership work. When you know what matters most to you, you can lead with greater clarity, consistency, and conviction.
3. Your Strengths and Blind Spots
Most leadership problems don’t come from obvious weaknesses. They come from overused strengths.
You’re great at solving problems, so you step in too quickly instead of coaching someone through it. You’re collaborative, so you avoid delivering tough feedback. You’re meticulous, so you redo someone else’s work instead of helping them develop their skills.
When strengths are on autopilot, they become liabilities. That’s why self-awareness is so critical – it helps you spot when you’re defaulting to what’s comfortable instead of effective.
4. How You Best Operate
Are you a fast processor or a more moderate one? Would you rather have time to reflect on your own, or do you think best out loud? Is your best thinking time ideal for deep work in the morning or afternoon? Do you process ideas linearly—or in big-picture bursts?
Knowing how you take in information, make decisions, and manage your energy is leadership gold. It helps you set better boundaries, workflows, and expectations for yourself and your team. Ultimately, it’s about developing a leadership approach that’s both sustainable and effective.
A Few Questions to Reflect On
- What do I want my people to say about what it’s like working with me?
- When do I feel most “in flow” and most drained or frustrated?
- What feedback do I tend to resist?
- What values guide my decisions, even when no one’s watching?
- What habits or instincts might be strengths in one situation, but liabilities in another?
The Bottom Line
The best lawyers don’t wait until they’re struggling to figure out how they lead.
They start early. They revisit often. They invest in knowing themselves so they can show up more clearly for others.
Because you can’t lead others until you know the person they’re being led by – you.
