1. Survival of the misfit John Hodge Title intrigue Emerged
Better not to use firm logo
Traditional perfect image
John Hodge

2. Important to project image internally and externally
Cool calm
Knows everything
Anything you entrust to him/her will be done well
US image

3. Most cases is done well
But is it always the case

4. Never see this in firm’s publicity
Problems when life gets on top of us
Pressures of life
Make us feel under attack
Problem of believing our publicity that we are infallible

5. What causes the problems
Mistakes
Misunderstandings
Slights
Pressure of work
Colleagues
Clients
I am not guy who is perfect – let us look at the issues which cause problems
All these lead to pressures Got to learn to deal with times when we are the successful lawyer and also when up against it.

6. Success or failure If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat these two impostors the same
Kipling
Do we recognise triumph and disaster – success and failure as impostors
To do so need a wider view of life
Danger of seeing our life as our work - makes the problems a much bigger issue

7. Need a wider view of life
But can be compartmentalised
Detail compartments
Need a wider world view but not a compartmentalised view
Danger of adapting to the culture of the compartment

8. Christian World view
Know that I am not perfect and like everyone else a flawed being
World does not centre round me
Here to serve
Three key aspects
Why I am in the law
What motivates money
Service
prestige
recognition
Service important in that not centre on me
Does that mean that I do not have problems perfect life and float through it

9. Depression
Spiralling downwards
Why cause centre on self

10. What can I do ?
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr
Don’t define yourself as the job – if that gets attack loose your identity
Far greater – in Christian context
other faiths
And none – family
Somethings cannot be changed – others can
What we control most is ourselves and we can do something about how we react to situations

11. Practical issues Mistakes Misunderstandings Slights Pressure of work
Colleagues
Clients
List of type of issues that arise

12. Mistakes Accept that it has happened Address the problem
Actively deal with it.
Car accidents
Danger of coverup
D&W incident
Not hope it will go away and busy yourself with other things

13. Key Rule 1 Don’t avoid the difficult issues
Applies not just to mistakes but also to all sorts of problems.
Keep awake at night

14. Relationships

15. Misunderstandings Timing First move Real issue (CMH and broken femur)
Need to tackle but allow time to calm down
Making first move – strength not weakness
Personal relations important
Can be danger of being obsessed with job that not see people
(CMH and broken femur)

16. Slights Wider vision – see things as they are What is important
What will be remembered
Realistic view of self
Can be inflated
What bin office politics is important
Notepaper order

17. Pressure Discipline Prioritise Don’t procrastinate
Timetable the unexpected
Tackle big issues first remember key rule 1

18. Urgent
Non urgent
Important
Non Important

19. Key Rule 2 Am I solving the problem or just moving paper RWB example
Take a step back and analyse the situation – what is going to bring it to a solution/.

20. Colleagues Be yourself – not an image Treat others with respect
Be open
Then there is nothing to be found out!
Huge field
All colleagues

21. Clients Control expectations Give them confidence that you will reply
Exceed expectations.
Personal relations and performance
Easy to promise everything and then not deliver

22. Key Rule 3
Be honest and realistic

23. Focus and context
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have been made perfect but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me.
St Paul in Philippians 3 v12
Survival of the misfit
Darwinianism means the fittest survive
Perhaps not conform to image to survive
Grateful for a working environment where that was allowed.

24. John Hodge Head of Charities Balfour+Manson LLP 28 October 2015
Survival of a Misfit
John Hodge
Head of Charities
Balfour+Manson LLP
28 October 2015