CHARTING YOUR OWN COURSE OF SUCCESS: WHAT DOES GRIT HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

I've been in Orlando the last four days attending and speaking at CYOC ("Charting Your Own Course"), one of the best conferences geared toward the professional development needs of attorneys of color. Since 1998, CYOC has delivered a one of a kind learning and developmental experience that focuses on straight talk, affirmation, and family. 

The conference addresses the WHOLE lawyer, particularly, the skills and the mindset needed to succeed both personally and professionally. We network, affirm and challenge each other in an authentic family-like environment. Frankly, as a dear friend and fellow diversity colleague, Kori Carew, put it, "having the space for black professionals to be authentic about their experiences, challenges and vision is rare to find. In-house and law firm, seasoned and accomplished and junior attorneys all come together with one goal: [to help each other succeed]."

This year Ogletree sent seven lawyers from offices as far away as San Francisco and Los Angeles to Detroit, Charlotte, D.C. and London, to name a few. This morning, on the final day, I moderated a session of three very accomplished black lawyers on the topic: "Deconstructing Grit for the Associate of Color."*

These seasoned attorneys shared their personal stories of grit, including setbacks and failures, to a room of 75+ associates of color who had the opportunity to hear candid examples through the eyes of exceptional attorneys. We talked about the fact that as ones career and life progress, it doesn't get easier, you just have to get grittier!

Gritty associates consistently demonstrate three behaviors: (1) an excellence reflux (they possess a personal commitment and dedication to excellence), (2) service initiative (they proactively and deliberately look for ways to add value, studying how their work impacts the work of others), and (3) resilience (they do not falter in the face of challenge but demonstrate tenacity and the ability to bounce back). 

Moreover, gritty associates have a growth mindset, set clear career goals, develop navigator relationships, surround themselves with other gritty people, and maintain clarity and focus in their personal lives. 

Rather than believing that they have fixed capabilities, gritty associates recognize that they are a 'work in progress' and devote little, if any, time to stressing over failures or fear of failure. Instead, failure is simply seen as a necessary step in pursuit of a goal. 

They also know without a doubt what they want to achieve professionally and have the determination and direction to do so. They recognize the sacrifices they have to make to meet their career goals, focus on the long-term rather than letting a short-term crisis derail their plans, and invest heavily into building and developing a skill set to meet future challenges. 

Gritty associates also deliberately build relationships with senior attorneys who can help them understand and accept the challenges that await them and the skills, experiences and relationships they will need to meet these challenges. Additionally, they surround themselves with gritty friends who push them to meet the goals they've outlined for themselves and to overcome setbacks along the way. These gritty friends are, in essence, continuous sources of positive affirmations for the gritty associate. 

Finally, gritty associates avoid distractions and foolishness in their personal lives recognizing that they also need stability, planning and resilience in their personal lives in order to be gritty in their professional lives. So, the bottom line is that grit has everything to do with both personal and professional success. The sooner young attorneys employ the behaviors and characteristics of gritty associates, the sooner they will be on their way to building fulfilling, meaningful, successful lives as practicing attorneys.

*The concepts outlined in this article and in the conference session were adapted from panel notes prepared by CYOC Conference Chair and Founder, Werten Bellamy, Jr.