September 2021 | Allison Wallace | Senior Associate, K&L Gates
A career highlight has been...
getting to sit second-chair in negotiations on a multi-million dollar deal as a first year lawyer, and getting to fly up to Sydney solo to host the signing ceremony. This was a definite "in the deep end" opportunity, where I got a fully immersive experience in the type of project that is core to my team's practice. Getting to be involved in this way so early in my career served as motivation to keep pushing myself to improve my skills so I could do more, and do better, when the next deal came along.
To me, leadership means...
listening, empathy and advocacy. Listening to the people in your team to understand their concerns and their drivers. Empathy to put yourself in the shoes of others, and to remember what it felt like when you were in their position, and what helped you to be motivated and to excel. Advocacy to speak up for those around you who don't have the platform to voice their concerns or effect change.
The best advice I ever received was...
to not fall victim to unspoken assumptions - don't make assumptions of others' expectations of you. Always ask more questions and get a clear picture of what is being asked of you, rather than just assuming. I was given this advice by a senior colleague when I was a grad, and it's something that has made a huge difference in maintaining a work/life balance and feeling a sense of control over my work.
