Ownership in Principle vs. Process
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Now, let’s continue our journey into the #futureoflaw…
It’s a crazy time.
We are frantically trying to figure out stop-gaps; novel or otherwise, presenting them as solutions for the current dialectic of crisis and victory, of integrations and disintegration.
The legal industry is bearing the brunt of these forces and for more reason than one.
Not only do we feel the unnerving pace of change within our processes as technology further infuses or disrupts time-old practices, but because it is the calling of those in the Legal Industry to interpret, defend and uphold law within their environments.
Even those environments are awakening and all too aware that their problems plague other places as much as their own, that their decisions affect more and more the decisions of other places.
And so more and more of us who dance with the law are presented with a rapid change. Not all the signs point to a positive future, not all interactions provide inspiration and I take this opportunity to share perhaps why:
Daily, we are positioned with a complex and changing environment. Daily, we are bombarded with an amount of information unprecedented. Daily we learn of the frustrations of our fellow colleagues attempting to pursue, to maintain, to achieve justice. We pursue as individuals and we come together to pursue as collectives.
While we are steeped in the onrushing river of information, we seek meaning and purpose. If we are to contribute, we seek to do so in a way which has in its toiling the fruits of an outcome.
In simpler terms; we seek impact.
What happens however, whether we deliver or receive, is often a concoction of half-promises covered in half-truths. As well meaning or well minded we may be, as altruistic the process in which we engage in is, as needful as it is for us to carry it out for our daily bread - it may be beneficial to look inward as ask to what extent we take ownership.
We take ownership daily in the processes we have been tasked with: that deadline, that email, that meeting, that memo. We own it in so far as we’re told it’s part of the overall goal (and our income). But as we are faced with a larger viewpoint of the challenges that face us, so does the viewpoint require a larger sense of ownership.
We must therefore take ownership of problems in principle, rather than in process alone.
Ownership in principle seeks to produce an outcome that solves the issue, ownership of the process requires you to pass the buck on.
This is fundamental to the strategy of endeavor in the Legal Industry. Ownership of the problem at the level of principle frees you. It unlocks your potential and the potential of those around you. It allows them to feel the problem and bring their whole selves to the solution. It allows you to feel whole in your efforts. If we cannot take ownership of what we are building, then how can we be our selves and how much do we give to the process? Is that not the definition of half-promises covered in half-truths?
Whether you’re building technology, working more traditionally or avant-garde, advocating or arbitrating, mediating or resolving dispute, walking a path of learning with entrants or deciding policy for how the law operates, we all must take this ownership to heart.
As I continue my journey, I’ve realised that people approach me not because things have been done, but because they are approaching something novel. They recognize a need for a multi-disciplinary approach by nature of what they are attempting (usually a base mix of technology and legal services). The only way to be of use, to be reflexive and responsive and of value is to take a principled approach.
People find solace in knowing that we can explore the many facets of their endeavors from basic processes to the strategy and vision, to the emotion that surrounds the goal, creating a holistic approach to solutions. Naturally, this cannot be explored if it is a pre-recorded webinar instead of a live performance every time.
Creativity, the fuel of novelty, does not exist in a textbook. It comes from within you, from your base. To tap into that base is to take a principled approach.
Some parting words to reflect on:
If we are to build, build with the end in mind.
If we are to collaborate, collaborate with advantage for all sides.
If we are to penetrate, go to the heart of the matter rather than pull on the strings.
If we are to succeed, succeed in a way which would not leave another wanting.
If we are to sacrifice, sacrifice in a way in which someone else may benefit.
If we are to learn, learn in a way that lifts up those around you.
If we are to teach, teach for empowerment.
If we are to pursue enterprise, align it to the exigencies of the world today.
If we are to sell, ensure that the other truly benefits.
If we are to solve, solve from the root cause.
As always, the future of law is in our hands 🔥
Q.
Photo by Justus Menke on Unsplash