1. The Working Resume: As I began my work advising business-oriented MBAs, I was struck by how most of them already had a clearly thought out “elevator speech”—a brief account of where they were in their careers, where they wanted to go, and what they wanted/needed from the firm in order to get there. Clearly, they were devoting regular time to updating their resumes, mentally or on paper. That level of self-awareness translates into a heightened ability to find and take advantage of new opportunities. So my first advice to lawyers is to assess regularly what you do well, what you enjoy, and what legal and professional skills you are building in your current role that might be applied more productively where you are or more interestingly elsewhere. Keep track of your experiences, whether in a resume or not. Quantify them. How many deals? How many motions? How many people did you supervise? What was the budget for that matter? Your elevator speech will come naturally from this effort, and it will be convincing.

2. Watch the Clock: Another surprising thing I experienced at McKinsey was the way that the firm’s consultants and alumni carefully track the time they spend at any one job. They don’t necessarily change jobs every two or three years. But they do know to the month how long they have been in their current jobs. Each year most of them diligently review whether their learning and opportunity curves continue to be steep enough to justify continued investment in their current jobs. “How long have you been here?” they eventually asked me. I left soon thereafter!

3. Take Risks: Which leads to the next lesson—take risks! Psychologists who study lawyers indicate risk aversion as common among those who self-select into our profession; yet we all know that the most successful within our profession often have taken the most risks. Challenge yourself to think of one thing you would be excited to try professionally—write a book, explore a new practice area (my firm has wonderful “incubators” that associates and partners can form, for example), make a new client connection, give a major presentation, etc. McKinsey thrives on the entrepreneurial, empowered contributions of its people, often even its least experienced. The intense loyalty associates have for the place arises at its heart from that empowerment—a lesson all law firms should heed.

4. Networking: A lot is being taught and written about professional networking these days, and my firm, like many, is investing in business development training that includes networking skills. My very simple contribution to this dialogue is to point out that a lot of professional networking begins through personal relationships among people who are trying to figure out what to do with their lives. The MBAs I encountered seem to have spent most of business school working in teams, building friendships, and trading thoughts and ideas about entrepreneurial opportunities. No surprise that after business school, people who have had those bonding experiences keep in touch much better than their law school graduate counterparts. The good news for lawyers is that it is never too late to start—there are people all around you who are ready for you to reach out, and your personal network is probably waiting to be revived in ways you haven’t thought about yet. I know a group of McKinsey alumni who started a play group for new parents after they left the firm, for example. They have kept their friendships alive, and I’m certain that by now some interesting professional opportunities have arisen through their getting together once in awhile.