Career Lessons The Great Comeback

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Career Lessons: The Great Comeback Did you watch it on Sunday? Many golf experts said Tiger Woods would never win another major. Sports Illustrated called it: Golf’s Greatest Comeback Ever.  Even if you don’t care about golf, I urge you to read the article from the beginning to the end.  The New Yorker article:  Tiger Woods Makes a Comeback for the Ages is also worth reading. None of us can compare a comeback in our legal career to what Tiger Woods has accomplished and most of us will never face the physical pain and surgeries Tiger Woods faced when many predicted he would never play in another tournament. But, you will likely face defeat and disappointment in your career. I did several times. In 1981, I lost a jury case in West Virginia I thought for sure I had won. Several years later I lost my best client when the company hired a new general counsel and he decided to take the work from me and give it to his old firm. Years later after winning the client back, I lost the client a second time after my very best work made the business people happy, but the then general counsel upset with me. I understand that Tiger Woods worked extremely hard to come back. I heard on television that after last year he was not satisfied with his putting and he spent three hours a day on the putting green to improve it. We don’t exactly have the same opportunity to practice our craft. That said; when I lost that jury trial in West Virginia, I worked at improving my jury trial skills by studying books written by Gerry Spence. I started winning cases and regained my self-confidence. Now trial lawyers can go to his Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming. When Tiger made the final putt on 18 my mind went back to Verne Lundquist calling Tiger’s incredible chip shot on 16 the last time he won the Masters. I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.