Pick a Lens

Changing roles sharpens your thinking fast.

You go from being known to being observed.
From running deals to earning them.
From “go-to” to “who’s he?”

That’s the truth about career growth:
It resets the room.
But you’re in a room of your own choosing.

And what gets remembered - in that reset - isn’t your title.
It’s your lens.

Some lawyers draft.
Some lawyers advise.
A few change the shape of the deal.

They’re not louder.
They just see something others don’t.

That’s the lens.

It doesn’t show up on your CV.
It rarely gets praised in a review.
But when something stalls - or cracks - it’s the thing that gets you pulled in.

People with a lens get picked early.
Before the term sheet. Before the doc.
Before the tension sets in.

Why?

Because clarity under pressure travels.
And lawyers with a lens don’t add noise - they clear it.

So what does a lens look like?

It’s not expertise.
It’s instinct backed by pattern.

You sense when a founder is signalling fear through confidence.
You know when an investor needs a win and can’t be seen to back down.

You can’t always explain it.
But you feel it coming.
And when you say it, people move faster.

That’s the difference.

This week’s move:

Pick a lens.
Doesn’t have to be clever. Just clean.

– “I spot consent clauses that will cause friction mid-round.”
– “I translate investor terms into Founder speak.”
– “I know when control is the real ask - even if it’s nested inside something that looks like valuation.”

Say one thing this week that reflects how you see.

Not to impress.
To be placed.

✍️ Note to self
Being good gets you staffed. Having a lens gets you picked.