Succeeding at Client Service? Expect More Discomfort.

Mt. Democrat, a Colorado 14er, viewed on the descent from Mt. Cameron, another 14er.

"Oof." I looked across at Mt. Democrat, pictured above, and thought, "But I've already hiked three 14ers this morning!"

And that, friends, is a perfect metaphor for leading and serving lawyers. Do it well, and no matter how many summits you reach, you'll only make lawyers ask more of you.

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Last week my daughter and I completed the Decalibron* Loop, which takes hikers up over 14,000 feet on four separate peaks before returning them to the trailhead. 

I snapped this picture on the descent from Mt. Cameron, where the trail drops 800 feet before climbing steeply through rockfall and scree to the false summit, ridgeline, and final peak of Mt. Democrat. 

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As we walked, I thought of times I'd over-delivered for lawyers, and how that only raised expectations for next time. 

Or the times my team miraculously juggled projects and met unreasonable deadlines, only to wake up the next day to find an outsized request in their inboxes. 

Usually, that type of request came from a lawyer who didn't know what Herculean efforts the team had just completed for someone else. 

Sometimes, I kid you not, a lawyer who had just asked for—and received—the moon would turn around early the next morning and request the stars, too. 

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That's what success looks like in law firms. 

And here's the big reveal: Lawyers experience the exact same cycles with their clients. 

When we harness empathy around this shared dynamic, it's easier to respond in stride to the "one more thing" that threatens to strain morale on any given day. 

Grace under pressure? That's client service. 

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*"Decalibron" is a mashup of Mts. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross. We hiked in reverse, starting with Bross.