11: Flatten Hierarchies

If you ever get the chance to write a book one day, you'll find some sections of the book tedious, some interesting, and a few really exciting to write. We are really excited about this section because we think this advice is particularly unique and helpful.

When you start off, unless you hang your own shingle, you'll be subject to a hierarchy at your employer. By definition, you'll be at, or near, the bottom. Everything we talk about in this book is to help you rise up the ladder, be successful, and hopefully be happy. If you are looking for a “cheat code” to use, here is one potential.

The idea is this: you are the junior person at work, but you are no less important a human than anyone, even the senior partner. And in some areas of life, you may be more experienced than the person you are trying to impress. Let's use a real-life example to illustrate.

Jason started his professional life as a musician. (Shameless plug; Jason goes by Jace Allen online as a musician. Check him out!) Besides being a classically trained percussionist, he plays a variety of instruments and has been a band leader for over 30 years. Whenever Jason would take a new job, Jason would engage his superiors about music. Invariably, people up the food chain would wax poetically about their high-school, college, or long-lost band. Jason would keep tabs on who played which instrument, make assumptions about musical ability, and build a hypothetical band in his head. Once that was completed, he'd offer to put a band together with everyone, run it, and create the music charts, all so that his bosses could reclaim their lost stage glory. The offer was always accepted, and Jason would arrange for a local gig or two. In the process of practicing and getting ready for the gig, Jason's bosses would all see Jason as the senior person in this group. They would defer to Jason, ask him questions, and solicit his help. This essentially flipped the hierarchy they were used to at work. Jason was the partner now. The bosses were the associates.

Without fail, it changed the work dynamic. Although he was no better as an employee or more experienced, the senior people treated Jason differently and on equal footing. This worked for Jason several times, over several companies, both law jobs and not.

The bottom line is to engage your bosses on something you are excellent at (or at least better than them) outside of law. You can't compete there. At least not yet. It doesn't have to be a band. It could be playing a particular sport, having a great debate on an interesting subject matter where the boss learns something from you. It could be food or wine related. Anything. Just get them to see you in a leadership position: flip the hierarchy and reap the benefits.