How an Overdeveloped Sense of Responsibility Keeps Lawyers Stuck

Responsibility is one of the things that makes lawyers good at their jobs. It also shows up, over and over, as one of the things that makes it hardest for them to leave. Not because they don't want to go, but because leaving means someone else has to pick up the work. And for a lawyer who is wired around responsibility, that can feel like something they're just not willing to do.What Sarah sees with her clients is that the sense of responsibility doesn't stay proportional. It ends up putting so much weight on what other people might have to deal with that a lawyer's own mental, physical, and emotional well-being barely registers in the calculation. Toxic environments are especially good at making this worse.In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah Cottrell talks about why responsibility shows up so consistently in her clients' assessment results, what happens when it becomes overdeveloped, and why it makes it hard for lawyers to even let themselves think about leaving.1:28 - How responsibility shows up in CliftonStrengths, VIA, and the Enneagram3:01 - What Sarah sees with lawyers whose jobs aren't good for them4:26 - Why highly responsible lawyers struggle to give themselves permission to even think about leaving5:07 - What an overdeveloped sense of responsibility actually means6:03 - How toxic environments exploit lawyers who are highly responsible7:28 - The faulty logic that keeps highly responsible lawyers from cutting themselves any slack9:18 - Why it matters to know if responsibility is one of your top characteristicsMentioned In How an Overdeveloped Sense of Responsibility Keeps Lawyers StuckFirst Steps to Leaving the LawThe Former Lawyer Collaborative