How Ignoring Feelings Makes Lawyers Look Like Idiots: The Donald Sterling Edition

This key difference between the commentators and Silver? From where I sit, Silver, with his Feeler talents, saw that he couldn’t just (publicly) lawyer through all the contracts and what-not that McCann and Shropshire were agonizing about. He saw clearly that the damage to the NBA was going to be severe if he didn’t act to make Dennis Sterling a pariah. Having deeply outraged players and fans, and having the NBA appear more concerned about its pocketbook than its morals, was in the long term going to cause a much deeper crisis for the league than whatever millions any lawsuit might cost. Feelings were in the driver’s seat, and in Silver, the NBA had a lawyer who understood that.

Growing Your Alternative Legal Career, Organically

Much like using chemicals in the garden produces impressive-looking results at first, but ultimately robs the soil and plants of what they need to survive. They become dependent on chemical help just to survive. So instead, plant yourself in the right light, soil and water. Then work on growing where you are planted.

Does Your Personality Fit into Law?

Law is filled with people who didn’t or couldn’t see that they were beautiful lilies sending themselves off to be planted with the cacti. The good news is, you don’t have to hope, like the lilly does, that someone will come along, uproot you from the desert and plant you in the right place. You are the one who wields the shovel.

The Other Key Lawyer Personality Trait: Think, Don’t Feel

The Thinking/Feeling preference in the Myers-Briggs typology is a biggie for happiness and satisfaction at work. If you’re a Feeling type and a lawyer, you’re probably miserable. That’s why knowing whether you’re a Feeler or a Thinker is important to assessing whether to stay in law.

Key Lawyer Personality Trait: Are You a Sensing or Intuitive Type?

The two middle traits of Myers-Briggs typology (Sensing/Intuitive and Perceiving/Feeling) are the keys to satisfaction at work, whether you’re a lawyer or a carpenter. When your preferences in those two areas are in synch with the type of work you’re doing, you will feel more fulfilled and in harmony. Sounds kind of important to me.