Suddenly, your 60s are just around the corner.
Everyone around you admires your success and what you’ve built.
And it doesn’t seem like enough anymore. Something is missing.
This isn’t a midlife crisis. You’re not buying a Porsche.
You’re just ready for something different.
The Natural Shift
You know you’re tired.
Perhaps you’re ready to not be the go-to person for every question and crisis.
Maybe you’ve got friends who are scaling back or retiring – and part of your brain wants THAT to be you.
But you’re not sure HOW to do it. Or what you would do with yourself.
You’re not in crisis. You’re shifting.
Back in 2010, I met Dan Pink on his book tour for Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. His science-backed approach to motivation – and how it changes over time – hit home with me.
What drove me at 30 (building, proving myself, achieving autonomy) wasn’t what motivated me at 45.
At 45, I wanted purpose. Legacy. To enable others rather than do everything myself.
I spent the next decade and a half putting those insights into practice – navigating multiple shifts until I found my way to the life I live now.
The Design Problem
Most lawyers built firms that need them to stay essential forever.
You hired people who depend on your judgment. You landed clients who expect you personally. You created systems that require your oversight.
Twenty years later, you’ve built something valuable that fights against your natural evolution.
You’re ready to step back. But the firm isn’t ready for you to.
That’s not a crisis. It’s a design problem.
You designed the firm for who you were at 40. Now you’re 60.
The firm hasn’t evolved with you.
What To Do About It
If you’re feeling this shift – don’t fight it. Get curious.
Ask yourself:
– What do I actually want the next five years to look like?
– What would my firm need to look like for that to be possible?
– Who’s ready to step up if I create space for them?
These aren’t easy questions. And they’re hard to answer when you’re drinking from the proverbial fire hose.
This shift – the one making you think differently about your firm – is the same shift that makes you ready to build succession that actually works.
Not succession as exit strategy.
Succession as the infrastructure that lets you live the life you’ve earned while the firm thrives.
Your best days are ahead of you.
But only if you stop fighting the shift and start designing for it.
Read the complete exploration: https://dougbrownjd.substack.com/
For more insights on navigating these leadership transitions, subscribe to Beyond the Practice Grind on Substack.
Onward!
—Doug
