Often when leaders think about personal development, they turn to fellow leaders for advice. Others might approach a coach or trainer. A really powerful exercise often overlooked is gathering 360 feedback.

A good coach will encourage leaders to explore what their team needs through the questions they ask. A great coach will inspire them to go further and ask their team what it is that they need to excel.

I hope what follows will demonstrate the power of 360 feedback. I equally hope it will motivate junior professionals to give feedback up the chain. If you aren’t getting what you need, say so! Often leaders are just afraid to ask.

I interviewed three senior executives making their mark at Bird & Bird in London: Rex Bautista, a senior client relationship executive; Anna Chapman, a senior marketing executive; and Ramani Rajaratnam, senior marketing and business development executive. Rex is also co-chair of Bird & Bird London’s employee-led multicultural network, Embrace, where he leads and drives the community’s initiatives, harnesses the team’s inclusive spirit, and increases its profile.

Claire: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Rex: In my almost seven years of professional services experience in the legal industry, there are a few moments in my career which I consider a personal highlight: some are small wins, and some are around career progression and development.

At the start of my career as a senior client coordinator, I worked heavily on a client relationship year-in review report for a multinational technology company. It was a comprehensive report which highlights the firm’s performance and its strong relationship. This was highly commended by the client’s legal team and has been one of the standard templates for our team. It was a small win but a huge one for me as it has validated that I made the right choice to move to business development.

One piece of feedback I’ve received was “Introducing Rex to the head of legal was the best decision I’ve made as it helps progress and strengthen our relationship further.” I know there is still room for improvement however this validates the experience that I have achieved, the skills competencies that I’ve honed over the years with the support from my mentors, leaders and colleagues.

Anna: As cliché as it sounds, my promotion has been the highlight so far. Not because of the promotion itself, but because it really demonstrated that the hard work I’d been doing over the past year had been recognised by the business. Going out of my comfort zone and putting my hand up for difficult projects wasn’t easy – but it was worth it!

Ramani: As the role is so varied and you're involved in so many different projects and campaigns, it's difficult to pinpoint one particular highlight. One highlight for me has been when I was lucky enough to travel to the International Trademark Association's conference which is either held in the US, Europe or Asia. It was at one particular conference, where I had helped to organise numerous meetings with existing and potential clients as well as our highly reputed Reception which is attended by over 600 General Counsel from all sorts of companies and industries, that myself and my manager were greeted by one particular GC who made a point to say, 'Oh so you're the famous marketing team at Bird & Bird....can I just say that you guys do such an amazing job, well done!'. That for me, was certainly a highlight. It made all the hard work we put into events such as that one including all the collateral that goes with it, really worth it.

Claire: Having a mentor or a sponsor is often said to make a big difference - have you had one? What benefits have you seen from having someone?

Rex: The corporate landscape has far-reaching scopes and nuances that it can be daunting for anyone. My mentors, or how I like to call them my champions, have helped me traverse this landscape by challenging my critical decision-making skills, by honing in on the areas I need to develop, by providing motivational support and by acting as a sounding board. Having a trustful and impactful mentor serves as a neutral zone where one can build more confidence, reinforce good work ethics, and identify goals to achieve. Through the years, and even until now, they have been instrumental in helping me realise and maximise my full potential.

Anna: I had a mentor for 12 months from the start of the pandemic. There is no doubt that she played a big role in my promotion through our discussions. She helped me find the answers to my questions by turning them on their head and making me see a completely different angle.

Being paired with someone in a completely different area of the business was extremely useful – it took me outside of the ‘marketing’ box and allowed me to approach my work with lots of new perspectives. She also helped me understand how important it was to develop a wider network of relationships within the business to be exposed to work opportunities and get recognised – something that I’ve learnt is very important in a law firm (and likely most professional services firms).

Claire: What one example would you give of an action by a leader that has made a positive difference to you?

Rex: Coming to the UK as an immigrant, I was a bit skeptical of how my skill set and work experience in Manila would translate in the new workplace culture. So far, I have been fortunate enough to have met and worked with lots of great leaders. One of the notable turning points that propelled me forward was the trust and confidence I have shared with my leaders. This has massively helped in finding my voice; it reinforces my collaborative skills, improves my creative thinking process, and encourages me to be more effectively transparent with my thoughts and ideas. The time and effort invested in me and the expertise and knowledge generously shared by my mentors is also just invaluable. Some might see this as a small nudge in the right direction but it’s amazing how much speed it picked up on the trajectory of my career.

Anna: The stand-out action for me is the first time I was given an opportunity completely outside my remit. It has propelled my career forward significantly and I am so grateful. The senior manager took on-board my interest to learn and offered me the opportunity to get involved in a project that I had no experience with. Giving me that opportunity and trusting me to learn ‘on the job’ has made such a positive difference to my career so far and opened up so many new opportunities for me within the business.

Ramani: I've seen my manager stand up to a senior leader at the firm in support of her team and in fact the whole professional services team. There has traditionally been a divide between professional services and the fee earners and at our firm that's not the case. As a result our working environment, team effort and consequently work product is of the highest standard. My manager took a bit of a risk to raise it with the person in question but the fact that she did, meant a lot to both her immediate team and the wider professional services team. It's important to protect the ethos and culture of a firm, especially if it’s a good one and that's one of the most significant reasons I'm at this firm and in the role I'm in.

Claire: What advice would you give leaders to get the most from their junior talent?

Rex: In my experience, knowing the career aspirations of the talent and what motivates them is the key to strong collaboration. Allowing young talents to have a platform where they can perform and be recognised for their contribution will fortify their confidence, strengthen their gravitas and their ‘hunger’ for success. This will naturally advance being actively involved with more challenging projects that will further progress their strategic knowledge and thinking. The practice of a 360-feedback principle is also crucial. This reinforces a healthy relationship between the leader and the talent: together they are able re-evaluate plans and make sensible adjustments with to achieve the goals set. To all leaders, I would say, always remember to treat failures and mistakes not as scenarios for reprimand but as a learning opportunity.

Anna: My main piece of advice would be to provide opportunities to everyone in the wider team. Limiting opportunities to those that you feel are best placed means that those who are really interested in learning don’t get to be involved. For example, ensure that when looking for support on a business development project, those in marketing are invited to get involved too – and vice versa. I would also advise leaders to let junior members of the team have responsibility for projects – being trusted to take the lead allows junior members to learn so much and develop.

Ramani: The one thing that I have most appreciated, is being listened to and feeling like my thoughts and contributions are valued. There is nothing more demoralising than feeling like what you do doesn't matter. I've been lucky that I have a really fantastic manager who has taught me so much, particularly as I had absolutely no experience when I started in the role. My manager really took the time to help me navigate the role and grow with it and she has always listened to my views on BD for the group as I've become more confident and experienced.

Claire Rason is a coach, host of the lawyer’s coach podcast, and the founder of human-centred consultancy Client Talk Ltd. Client Talk Ltd aims to change the conversations that firms are having with, and about, their clients. It focuses on the human side of strategy, providing a different approach to client listening, human-centred soft skills training, and coaching for individual and teams to help bring strategies to life.

To find out more visit www.clienttalk.co.uk