Protecting a Completed-Listing listing makes it simpler to advocate for your self — and put together for a job search.
In case your curiosity is piqued by this text’s title, you’re probably Sort A — somebody who loves and lives or needs to level-up their to-do listing.
I’m sorry to disappoint you, however that’s not what this text is about.
There’s a special form of listing that I’ve discovered much more highly effective in my profession as a lawyer: a “What I’ve Completed” listing or “Completed-Listing” for brief.
Wait. What?
Isn’t a ‘Completed-Listing’ Only a Resume or Curriculum Vitae?
No, it’s not.
It’s not transient.
It’s not a abstract.
What Is a Completed-Listing?
It’s actually a working listing of the work you’ve executed — a data-dump-like device that you simply replace often (a minimum of month-to-month, though weekly might be higher).
What goes on that listing — what you deem worthy of itemizing — will depend on the place you apply, what your employer values, or what’s going to you give satisfaction or achievement everytime you overview what you’ve … executed.
Earlier than I share the how, right here’s the why.
1. Use the Completed-Listing to Show Your Worth
In my expertise, most employers have some form of overview course of, often on an annual foundation. The method often consists of an space for self-evaluation.
Is it simply me, or is it actually, actually arduous to recollect what you probably did yesterday, a lot much less over the past yr?
And right here’s the kicker: If it’s arduous so that you can keep in mind what you probably did, a lot much less did properly, over a whole yr, don’t you assume it’s even tougher for a accomplice or affiliate basic counsel who manages different associates or counsel?
Enter my first impetus for the Completed-Listing.
If I wished to face out as an important affiliate, I knew I wanted to have the ability to advocate my very own worth. The one manner to take action was to know what I did so I might give context to the hours I billed.
Was 25% of my 1,900 minimal billable hours all doc overview, or was it writing dispositive motions and making ready for depositions?
Context additionally issues whenever you fall quick.
Prepared for some tea?
The yr I used to be president of the Dallas Affiliation of Younger Legal professionals, I missed assembly my billable hours by about 100 hours. However I tracked my bar service hours, professional bono hours, and enterprise growth hours (I had over 3,000 hours complete, simply 1,800 billable). And since I advocated for myself in regards to the optimistic branding I had dropped at the agency and myself from utilizing my Completed-Listing, the Associates Committee didn’t ding me. I nonetheless obtained moved up with my friends.
That’s how highly effective the Completed-Listing will be.
That is nonetheless related in the event you’re a authorities lawyer or in-house, presuming you will have an annual overview and have to indicate your worth to somebody.
I’m in-house now, and, whereas I don’t should invoice, I select to trace my hours and use a Completed-Listing. When it’s efficiency overview time, I can advocate with confidence the worth I’ve introduced, the tasks I’ve accomplished. Typically it’s a numbers sport — I’ve resolved X variety of disputes or skilled X variety of folks. If numbers don’t give sufficient context, then I can flip to substance — share that I’ve had a number of talking engagements or that I’ve been company citizen by way of the professional bono committee.
I can do all that with ease and fewer time by referring to my Completed-Listing as a substitute of racking my mind on the finish of the yr.
I additionally see the Completed-Listing as a device to mitigate implicit or unconscious bias. Science says we (together with the individuals who grade us) all have bias — whether or not affirmation or recency or attribution. Take into account how useful you’re whenever you give your grader an deliberately cultivated listing for comfort as they take into account your efficiency (presuming your group’s tradition is one the place that is acceptable). Possibly that accomplice simply got here off a trial with a special affiliate and hadn’t labored with you however for one case that resolved earlier within the yr. Wouldn’t a high-level recap — “That is what I labored on in X case with you, what I wrote, what I did, and keep in mind the shopper emailed you about how nice I’m?” — be useful?
2. Use the Completed-Listing to Domesticate Your Model
This will not be as useful to those that are keenly self-aware, however for me, I struggled with understanding what I uniquely dropped at the desk. As a child lawyer, I felt like I simply didn’t know something. So how I probably have a model?
Having the Completed-Listing to make use of for reflection helped me turn out to be extra conscious of the expertise I used to be getting, whether or not I used to be creating niches in my apply. By the point I used to be up for shareholder, I understood what my pitch can be.
That is additionally related to networking, branding on social media, pitching for enterprise or a job software or interview.
3. Use the Completed-Listing as a Diagnostic to Construct Your Abilities
For those who’ve learn my weblog publish “It’s Not a Race” on TheMeybe.com, you already know I believe one of the vital vital issues child legal professionals can do is give attention to rising their abilities. The Completed-Listing is a superb reference sheet for determining what expertise you will have and what experiences chances are you’ll need to attempt to get.
Look, I do know that as an affiliate, one of the vital irritating components of your standing is the shortage of management. But when you already know that you simply’re able to take a deposition, it’s simpler to make the pitch by saying, “I’ve ready X variety of shareholders for depositions, I’ve noticed X many, I’ve defended X many and I’m able to take one. Can you retain me in thoughts for the subsequent one?”
4. Use the Completed-Listing for Private Success
For those who haven’t executed the StrengthsFinder evaluation, take into account it. We will discuss why in one other publish. One of many abilities that I’ve (and I’ve discovered many legal professionals have) is “Achiever.” It’s that fixed urge to do, to execute, to do extra and higher, on daily basis. It’s an important expertise to have. However when it’s overused, it’s exhausting and may result in burnout and unhappiness. That’s as a result of our to-do lists won’t ever finish, and the satisfaction of getting stuff executed isn’t felt.
That is the place the Completed-Listing will be helpful on your psychological well being. When you’ll be able to see all that you’ve executed, it could allow you to rejoice — or a minimum of you can provide your self a break.
Now for the ‘How’ of Making Lists
No rocket science right here.
It actually does rely in your job. Additionally, what you monitor could change yr to yr as you get higher at understanding what is efficacious to your agency or firm or your self.
Let’s say you’re an employment litigator. Possibly you need to preserve monitor of pleadings, company place statements, non-dispositive and dispositive motions, discovery you’ve drafted — each what number of and in what circumstances. The identical goes for depositions — what number of you’ve outlined, watched, taken or defended. Take into account hearings, bench or jury trials, arbitrations.
Possibly it’s useful to maintain monitor of the companions or shareholders you’re employed for as a result of you will have a objective of working for each single one (as a result of then they know you when it’s time for elevation).
As a result of I’m in-house, I preserve monitor of the variety of disputes I oversee and resolve, the variety of trainings I give, the tasks I work on and full — in addition to the neighborhood work I do, the boards I’m on and any talking engagements. I additionally preserve monitor of my happiest purchasers, in case my AGC asks for referrals.
Lastly, when you resolve what you need to preserve monitor of, it’s a must to do it often. I schedule half-hour each week to ensure I do it. If I’m actually swamped, I’ll snooze or dismiss till the subsequent week. However the secret’s being constant, so it’s not too arduous to attempt to keep in mind over an extended interval.
In fact, you may simply put your Completed-Listing in your to-do listing if that works higher for you.
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