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BEYOND THE BILLABLE HOUR ™ - Making the Hours of Your
Life Worth More ™
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Issue # 13 - Plan Backward From Your Goal
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ARTICLE SUMMARY: In difficult circumstances, our view
of "reality" can make obstacles to
reaching our goals appear insurmountable.
Planning backward from your goal is
offered as a strategy to use when you
feel trapped and can't see a way out.
It can enable you to create new
possibilities for achieving your most
important goals.
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Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D., Editor
Ellen is the founder of LawyersLifeCoach.com ™
Personal and Career Coaching for Lawyers Determined
to Achieve Professional Success AND
a Fulfilling Life
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OUR PERSPECTIVE
Most attorneys -- especially women -- live impossibly busy lives.
Finding a balance between work and life without sacrificing
professional success, deciding on the best practice area or
work setting, and making career transitions can be a daunting
task, even for the most gifted and accomplished lawyer.
Just as every person deserves the best possible legal
counsel, every attorney deserves professional, dedicated
support in accomplishing her most important goals.
You know how hard you've worked to get where you are --
you serve others, both personally and professionally.
You've earned the right to both career success and
a fulfilling life.
This newsletter is intended to help you create a
satisfying life -- within, or outside of -- legal practice.
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Plan Backward From Your Goal
"We know what we are, not what we may become."
Shakespeare
Some people have the wonderful gift of seeing
possibilities wherever they look. I recently
talked to a businessman who described how he
walks around the city and imagines possibilities
for the spaces he passes. For instance, he
looked into a small grocery and saw a sad merchant,
sitting idly on a bench, the shelves full, no
customers in the store. Scanning the space, he
saw how easily the grocery owner could set up
a deli counter. The store was located on a corner
surrounded by business and there were few places
in the area that served lunch. In his mind, my
colleague could imagine employees of nearby
businesses coming to the deli to grab a sandwich.
People who came for a quick lunch could easily see
supplies they'd need for dinner on the grocery's
shelves. "Why was the merchant just sitting there?"
my associate wondered.
We all know what it's like to be that grocer. We
work hard to be successful within our circumstances
and means. And sometimes, no matter how hard we
try, success eludes us - we feel mired down.
A young attorney recently spoke to me about her
difficulties working for two partners who would not
work with one another to manage her workload. She'd
asked both of them so many times to no avail and didn't
know what else to do. Alternative options to open lines
of communication were not apparent to her.
Another lawyer expressed frustration that the new
associates in his firm did not seem to share his
"work ethic." He didn't consider the possibility
that he could inspire these associates to be involved
and motivated; he didn't imagine himself giving them
the "big picture" of the work ahead as he envisioned
it. Taking the initiative in this way didn't square
with his view of the world and the way things "should be."
We become so used to the framework within which
we view the world that we mistake it for reality.
There are no alternatives, no possibilities. We
feel stuck, trapped.
"Recognizing Pablo Picasso in a train compartment,
a man inquired of the artist why he did not paint
people 'the way they really are.' Picasso asked
what he meant by that expression. The man opened
his wallet and took out a snapshot of his wife,
saying, 'That's my wife.' Picasso responded, 'Isn't
she rather small and flat?' " (1)
Ask yourself what assumptions you hold that make your
situation seem as if it "has" to be as it is.
Often, when I coach people who feel stuck and
cannot envision ways out, working backward from
the goal makes everything easier. It's like
trying to find your way out of a complex maze.
Sometimes you hit a dead end and can't see how
to get out. But if you begin at the end, you can
easily work your way back to the beginning.
Here's how to plan backward from your goal:
1. Imagine yourself in the situation you desire.
Perhaps you see yourself being made partner
in your firm, or being hired as general counsel
at a progressive corporation, or being asked
to work in the Paris office of your firm. Maybe
your goal is to develop a flexible arrangement
with your employer so you can spend more time
with your family, or arrange to telecommute so
you can care for an aging parent. Whatever your
goal, pretend you've already accomplished it.
As "touchy-feely" as this may sound, it's useful
to write out your description of how it feels to
have reached your goal. Describe your surroundings,
your colleagues, your day, how your life is different,
how you feel.
2. Ignore the voice in your head telling you this is
impossible. Think of it as a saboteur - if you
listen, you'll never accomplish your goal. That
saboteur can't predict the future any better than
you or I. You may not be able to avoid hearing that
voice, but you don't have to listen.
3. Now work backward from your goal. Ask yourself,
"What would have to have happened just before to
allow for this?"
For example, if you've envisioned yourself getting
the position you've always wanted in that well-
respected and effective non-profit, you probably would
have submitted a resume highlighting your environmental
law experience and perhaps a few well-chosen contacts
on Capitol Hill.
What would have had to happen for you to have
these contacts and to have done this work? You
would most likely have done some excellent work
and made sure the head of the environmental law
section in your firm was well aware of it. You then
might have requested more challenging and visible
assignments in this area.
Maybe you would have spent more time with some
colleagues who were active in the campaign of a
congressperson frequently sponsoring environmental
legislation. Perhaps a friend of a friend knew the
member's Legislative Assistant and you asked for an
introduction.
You get the idea. You work your way back, step by
step, to where you are now.
4. Now you have your plan; that is, you've allowed for
many possibilities you'd previously decided were
impossible. It will take time, effort, and perseverance
to follow each step to completion - but you're a lawyer
- you know how to work hard. And if you want a guide
and some support - this is exactly what a coach is
trained to do.
Note:
1. Zander, Rosamund Stone & Zander, Benjamin (2000)
"The Art of Possibility - Transforming Professional
and Personal Life." Harvard Business School Press,
p.11.
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: A brief phone call is all you need
now to find out more about Ellen's
coaching. Call 212-461-2749 and
hear Ellen interviewed by a woman
lawyer and forensic psychologist.
You can learn about Ellen's coaching
practice and get a sense for what
virtual coaching is like, just
by listening to the recorded
interview. This is available 24
hours/day, seven days/week.
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BEYOND THE BILLABLE HOUR ™ is published monthly by
Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D., founder of LawyersLifeCoach.com.
She brings 20 years of experience assisting women
attorneys to her work in Lawyers Life Coach ™.
LawyersLifeCoach.com is a professional and personal
coaching firm specializing in working virtually (by
phone with email and fax backup) with women attorneys
interested in developing strategies to find greater
satisfaction in their careers within the law or
in exploring career alternatives for lawyers.
Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D. established Lawyerslifecoach.com
to coach busy lawyers who might benefit from the
insights gained from 20 years as a psychologist
combined with her experience and familiarity with
the legal profession.
Ellen holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
from the University of Rochester and is a managing
member of Metropolitan Behavioral Health Care, LLC.,
a multispecialty, multidisciplinary psychotherapy
practice in Washington, D.C. and suburban Maryland.
She is a member of the International Coach Federation
and a graduate of the Mentor Coach Program ™.
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NOTE: BEYOND THE BILLABLE HOUR ™ is intended
for informational and educational purposes only.
It is not a substitute for a personal consultation
with a mental health professional and should not
be construed as a form of, or substitute for,
counseling, psychotherapy, or other psychological
service.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D.
LawyersLifeCoach.com
Phone: (301) 578-8686
email: Ellen@LawyersLifeCoach.com
Web: http://LawyersLifeCoach.com
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(c)Copyright 2000 Ellen Ostrow. All rights reserved.
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