Reflections on my lessons learned as editor

The past month has been quite challenging for me personally as I have put together the latest issue of Managing Partner. Not only is this my 50th issue, but it also coincides with my fifth anniversary as editor of this 17-year-old magazine. If that's not enough, this period also marks my 15th anniversary in business publishing, of which the past 13 years have been devoted to the legal sector.

These big occasions have led me to pause and reflect on how much has changed. When I started
out as a writer, it was at an online magazine and just before the dotcom bubble burst at the start of the
new millennium; the magazine did not survive. Today, not only is the internet very much alive and well, but
it has also fundamentally changed the way we work and live. We have social media, smartphones,
wearable technology and so much more.

As part of my reflective exercise, I have found it helpful to consider what I've taken away from my career to date. A question I regularly ask law firm leaders on big occasions is 'what lessons have you learned?' So, I now feel obliged to turn the tables on myself and to publicly answer the same question.

Listening is a big one - not just paying attention to what people are saying, but actively listening with an open and curious attitude. Often, you can go into a meeting with clear objectives in mind. While this approach is generally useful, it can also create a blinkered focus on your desired outcomes instead of being open to discovering new avenues of thought. Sometimes, being willing to change course during
a meeting can deliver unanticipated positive outcomes and lead to stronger relationships.

Tied into that is the need to be empathetic to the people you are speaking with, to see the world through their eyes and to truly care about the difficulties they are facing. Sometimes, doing so is its own reward - the pleasure of giving someone the gift of being seen, heard and understood. Occasionally, the knowledge gained from the experience can also deliver valuable insights into how I can help law firm leaders to overcome the challenges they are struggling with,
often in isolation.

Learning from leaders within the legal sector is clearly important, but so too is learning from experts outside the sector. There is much knowledge to be gained from discussing and developing ideas with
a wide range of industry leaders and commentators.
This is true for both myself and this magazine's readers.

The act of learning is a lifelong purpose and project which will never be completed. As Albert Einstein once said, "the more I learn, the more I realise how much I don't know". Best practice is not an absolute solution: it's an ever-evolving discipline.

Finally, I've learned to look for and to find myriad benefits in every situation, even those that seem despairingly destabilising. Often, by embracing
a difficult situation rather than fighting it, you can surprise both yourself and others and deliver results that exceed everyone's expectations.

Until next time,