Women leaders in both general business settings and the business of law have a lot to teach us. Business leadership is not the exclusive dominion of men. Find out why.

Today I call your attention to a new book, When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn From Them. The author, Julia Boorstin, Senior Media and Tech Correspondent at CNBC, has put together a primer for women who aspire to become leaders throughout business, and she has gathered an impressive group of women leaders to describe their journeys to successful business leadership positions. Although most of those leaders are engaged in the business of raising venture capital to aid in the production and promotion of innovative products and processes, the content is very instructive for all young women in business and law as well as their male counterparts.

Full disclosure. I have yet to read the book. The fifth book in the Best Friends at the Bar series, scheduled for release later this Fall, has my full attention these days. You can be sure, however, that I will get to When Women Lead as soon as possible after my editorial/ marketing responsibilities to my publisher are met.

Like me, however, you can examine the Index and preface to the work and, particularly, the content titled “Concepts and Skills” included in “See Inside” on the Amazon description of the book. Then you can decide if it sounds like something that will be valuable to you. And, if so, you can put the title on your holiday gift list. What a meaningful gift for friends and family to share with young women business leaders in training today.

And think about doing the same for my new book. New Lawyer Launch: THE Handbook for Young Lawyers will be very worthy of your attention and will also make a great holiday gift for the young lawyers in your life.

I have been writing about toxic law firm cultures since 2016 when I addressed that issue in an article I wrote for Corporate Counsel magazine. That was early in terms of the seriousness that law firms attached to firm cultures. And, since that time, I have continued to sound the alarm about toxic law firm cultures and the disastrous effects of negative practices on the profession.

Here is a very recent update on toxic workplace cultures based on research conducted at MIT examining workplaces in general. The findings translate well to law firms and identify powerful predictors of toxic workplace behaviors, including toxic leadership, toxic social norms, and toxic work designs. The report also explores the ways employers can dramatically improve employee experiences and minimize unwanted attrition, employee disengagement, and negative perceptions in the business community.

Perhaps most important, the authors of the study have identified toxic culture as the primary driver of the Great Resignation, which has been experienced recently throughout the workforce. In fact they believe that toxic workplace culture is more than 10 times as powerful a factor as compensation.

Now that is worth some very serious consideration — for both legal employees and legal employers.

Most lawyers, especially women lawyers, pride themselves in their ability to multi-task. And, yes, they are pretty good at it. They have had to juggle family and profession under challenging circumstances, and they have done it very well. I am in awe of women lawyers who manage to multi-task and keep their wits about them.

And some male lawyers do it, too. They multi-task. Kudos to them as well.

The truth about multi-tasking is complicated, however. No matter how you do it, the important question is whether multi-tasking is a good idea at all. Young lawyers need to think about it.

Here is an article that argues against multi-tasking. The author is an in-house lawyer, and has additional advice for all of the in-house lawyers reading this.

My advice to all of you is to pay attention to this article. Many of you have very complicated practices, and the ability to hone in on the subject matter and give it your entire attention at times can mean the difference between success and failure. I am aware that taking a more nuanced approach to multi-tasking complicates the balancing act, but it could very well be worth considering.

I am not saying that you should neglect your family and personal responsibilities in favor of your professional life. That is not what I am saying at all. I believe that an effective balance means that some times your focus has to be on family, and some times your focus has to be on profession. Each day is different, and sometimes each hour is different. That is what you should expect, and handling it means staying flexible and keeping your objectives clear.

I am a lawyer/mom. And I can relate. My kids are grown now, but I remember those challenging days of balancing family with profession like it was yesterday. Some days I felt like a failure as a mother, and some days I felt like a failure as a lawyer. All days I had to stay focused and have the confidence that I could pull it off. And I did. Those two kids now are lawyers and doing their own balancing.

Some things never change. And we don’t really want them to. We value both sides of our lives, and we are capable of creating balance that protects both sides of our lives. It might take a little help from the outside from time to time, but we know how to get that. We just need to be willing to accept the help.

My money is on you. You are smart and capable, and you know your limits. Respect them, and the rest will all fall into place.