Building Bridges

 Yesterday I was asked by a senior construction lawyer, considering an alternative career in legal search, what we actually did and why I made the leap from a career in law.

“I don’t want to be one of those volume recruiters, so I’m thinking legal search” she said. This was my reply:

I love building things. I was always at my brother’s LEGO constantly as a child.

What we do is like building a huge bridge from scratch. So, imagine you’re commissioned by a visionary client to build a beautiful bridge which allows them to welcome new traffic from a specific region they want access to. Lots of others want to build that bridge, but you really believe in their vision for it and they're a great client to work with, committed to growth with purpose.

Your mission if you choose to accept it? The lot! Strategically plan the project; source the best materials; find uniquely skilled subcontractors from around the world; and then build it. 3 months you estimate if everything works well: you can do this!

You manage to find and engage the high performing subcontractors after a lot of calls and research. You lure them away temporarily from another project they were busy on (your prospective candidates). They get excited about this potentially transformational piece of architecture. You get to really know them ensuring they are absolutely spot on for it - they don't want to feel 'assessed' so you use a subtle art. Every day, you have to make sure they turn up, engaged and at their best. But sometimes it can be easier for them to just not bother. They were happy enough not building the bridge; there are plenty of others out there. If their requested materials don’t arrive when they want them to, they just want to walk away. Who cares about someone else’s vision? It’s just that, a vision – won’t happen without them anyway, no loss.

And then, out of the blue your client flip-flops and says “I’m not sure I want to build that bridge anymore”. What?!?! You’re mid-way through! Back to basics to remind them of what this can do for their region, the traffic they will get and impact they will make (wasn't it them who said they wanted to build it?)

 After a rollercoaster ride, it's built. It’s magnificent. Look how happy everyone is. That’s magic, what a feeling. Literally transformed people’s lives there.

As to those volume recruiters you’re not fond of: they don’t get paid a thing until the bridge is built, sometimes months later. So they have to build a lot of bridges.

A headhunter gets paid a portion up front to take on the project, to the exclusion of others. The amount paid covers some materials, maybe a month of wages at best. The longer the project takes, the bigger your loss. When it’s built, you get paid the rest. All up it's a risky process and you self-mitigate the risk every step."

 “I think I may stick with my legal career, that sounds exhausting. And so unpredictable!” she said

Hit the nail on the head there. If it’s predictability you want, you won’t find it in this career.

But wow.......that bridge.