Have you ever heard the Howard Moskowitz quote, “to a worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish”?  

If you haven’t, it may take a minute to process.  (My first reaction was “why would a worm be in horseradish?  Is it like having a worm in tequila?”)  Another way to think about it is that when you’re in the thick of a situation—whether temporary or long-term—it can be impossible to see more than what is immediately in front of you.  That can be a reasonable perspective; if a bear is charging you, it’s a huge asset to be able to focus on getting out of the way without being distracted by thoughts of a long-term crisis.  But putting your head down and focusing on the things right around you it is not a good long-term strategy.

What’s a better long-term strategy?  Carving out the time to gain perspective on your career, your career goals, and how you’re going to achieve them, of course.  But where is that time ever going to come from?

Most likely, your employer is not going to tell you, “we think you should start spending less time on doing work and more time every week focusing on your career goals and on achieving them.”  (Ironically, most of the times employers proactively encourage an employee to take time to work on their career, it is so the employee can find another job.)

If your employer is not going to reduce your workload so you can take time to focus on your career, how are you ever going to start carving out, on a regular and sustained basis, the time and attention you need to gain perspective—to put your head up out of the horseradish, so to speak—and actually move forward?

The answer is easier than you think:  You’re going to have to make the time.  There are various ways you can do that—one attorney I know uses a daily walk to listen to a podcast or read book intended to help her learn and grow.  An accountant I know watches Ted Talks every day during lunch and reads our blog posts religiously as a way to help him absorb some career lessons.  Those are great, but the most successful way I’ve found to do this is to join a mastermind.  Because when you invest in a mastermind, suddenly you are able to find the time to do the reflection and devote the attention you know you should.  (It’s like the reverse of the old adage “when people don’t pay, they don’t pay attention”; when you’re paying to belong to a mastermind, suddenly you find the time to join the calls, to do the exercises, to do the homework so you can get your money’s worth.)

That isn’t to say you should just Google “mastermind” and sign up for the first result; you want to consider the best fit for you.  I found that the best fit for me is a mastermind with a leader who can both teach me and coach me, while I am surrounded by other people who push me to operate at a higher level than I thought possible.  I also found that the occupations of other people in the group are important to me—at some points because I have wanted to be surrounded by people in the same career, and at others because I wanted to learn from people pursuing different goals.  Most important, though, I want to be surrounded by people who inspire and encourage me by celebrating my wins and suggesting next steps and resources when I face challenges.  And if it’s true that you’re really the average of the five people you spend the most time with, I want to be surrounded by great people.

These are all reasons our 2021 Future in Focus Attorney Mastermind so carefully curated and designed to bring together people at similar stages.  Some programming is specifically for attorneys considering a job change – maybe going in-house, to a non-profit, government, or a firm – or even a career change out of law altogether.  Other programming is for attorneys who know that what has helped them be successful to this point isn’t going to be enough to take them to the next level, whether they’re aiming for partner, their firm’s management committee, to go from deputy to general counsel, or some other promotion.  

If you knew how to do a job transition or advance to the next step, you already would have.  You know how to bill hours, argue a motion, or slog through due diligence, but none of those skills are what get you in the right job, or in the partner meeting.  That’s why Future in Focus Mastermind includes substantive content – from the kick-off in on Zoom, an in-person gathering when travel restrictions allow, and two monthly momentum calls with both content and coaching so you can develop the tools you didn’t learn in law school or at a CLE.  As well as bonus calls each month with experts including legal recruiters, a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher, in-house counsel, experts on business development (past cohorts have learned from Heather Hubbard and Steve Fretzin!), and so much more customized based on your cohort’s interests and needs.

I’ve also learned from my own experiences that accountability is an important part of a good mastermind.  Unlike an accountability group of friends who encourage each other to work on their goals, choosing to join a mastermind meant things wouldn’t fall apart when members got busy (because I was paying a leader who was going to consistently stay on me to make progress), and, because I had skin in the game, I couldn’t and wouldn’t just go through the motions.  Because a mastermind was a significant investment in my career, I knew I wanted to wring as much value out of it as I could, and thus make as much progress as possible.  That’s why the Future in Focus 2021 Mastermind include weekly accountability mechanisms so you stay on track, and a price that strikes a balance between being just a fraction of the value and results you’ll get, but are still an investment.  (2020 members noted that Future in Focus kept them moving forward, in spite of all the challenges 2020 threw in their path.)  

I’ve also found from my own experiences that “one size fits all” is often another way to say “one size fits no one.”  That’s why the 2020 Future in Focus Attorney Mastermind is  highly customizable.  You can join any calls you’d like.  I know from experience that making partner can suddenly become very attractive—or very unattractive.  If your career plans change three months into the program, you can switch cohorts completely.  And, as noted above, the bonus calls for each cohort will be customized based on your cohort’s interests and needs.

Finally, I’ve seen firsthand with my own one-on-one coaching clients how effective coaching is in helping people go further, faster.  That’s why the 2021 Future in Focus Attorney Mastermind includes 12 30 minute, one-on-one coaching sessions scheduled when it’s convenient for you.  So whether you want coaching on a situation at work or one-on-one help with your job search plan or goals, you’ll get it.

I want to leave you with one last thought. One of my mentors likes to say “No one will ever care more about your career than you do.”  So if you don’t care enough about your career to invest time and resources to help you advance, why would anyone else?  If you can springboard your success in 2021, it will help you advance in 2022, 2023, and in the years to come.  So if you don’t want it now, when will you?

If you’re ready to lift your head out of the horseradish, learn more at www.futureinfocus2021.com.  

Most of all, whether you decide to apply for Future in Focus or another mastermind, I hope you will decide now to make 2021 the year you take ownership of your career and devote the time and resources you need to become the attorney you’re meant to be, rather than the worm, just inching along.     

Amy M. Gardner is a Certified Career and Career Transitions Coach and Team Development and Leadership Consultant.  She coaches attorneys one-on-one, and in our small group attorney mastermind, Future in Focus.  She also works with teams of professionals, including teams of lawyers, to get aligned and become more engaged, effective, and efficient.   Amy is a former Big Law associate, partner at a mid-size law firm, and dean of students at a top 5 law school. Contact Amy directly at amy@apochromatik.com.