As a Lawyer, What Teachers Have Had an Impact on You? How Are You Having an Impact on Those Around You?

At a meeting of one of my networking groups earlier this week, in addition to our regular ‘who I am, what I do, and what good leads for me are’ discussion, the group coordinator suggested that we each talk about a teacher who had an impact on our lives. Since September is back to school month, it seemed an appropriate topic for discussion.

The ensuing conversation turned out to be enlightening on many levels. Some people in the group described ‘teachers’ who weren’t classroom teachers, but nonetheless impacted their lives and their learning, including parents and grandparents. Some talked about teachers that had a lasting impact on their lives 20 or 30 years after they’d last seen them. Others described teachers with whom they’re still in contact. And still others talked about business colleagues or mentors who shaped their professional lives long after their school years were behind them.

Although there were many positive and heartwarming sotries, not all of the experiences described were positive ones. Some members of the group were only realizing now, many years later, the impact that these ‘teachers’ had on their lives,. In some cases, it’s taken many years for these professionals to realize that they were operating under a misconception because of the influence of a particular adult ‘teacher.’

One thing that amazed me as we were going around the room was how much one experience or one conversation which may very well have seemed insignificant at the time, could shape a person’s experience, choice of profession, and outlook on life. Sometimes those experiences were made up of observations about how the ‘teacher’ lived their life – without any particular words having been exchanged.

What impact have the various ‘teachers’ in your life had on you and on your choice to become a lawyer, or a particular kind of lawyer? Perhaps more importantly, what impact are you having on those around you – whether they be children, younger lawyers or staff members? Does your word or your opinion carry more weight than you think it does? Are you encouraging those around you to follow their dreams or seek their own path? Are you leading by example? What are you telling those around you without speaking? Are you sending the kinds of messages you want to send?