Guided by the theme of “Leaning Forward,” associate Kandis Gibson recently concluded her term as President of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA). In an excerpted conversation, Kandis shares lessons learned from her tenure, the importance of having female mentors and in leadership positions, why we should self-advocate and for others, and her advice for the next generation of leaders in law.
There is no sunset on learning and evolving as a leader. It’s a lifelong process, and each leadership experience is different. This year was incredibly challenging for me professionally. I had two trials in the first half of 2024 and was out of state and/or in trial for over six weeks. During that time, my colleagues at Morgan Lewis and my WBA sisters stepped in and served as surrogates for me. Even at this stage in life I have to remind myself that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. At every step of my career, and at every moment of my presidency, I have had scores of people rooting for me to succeed, lending helping hands, and advocating for my success. And I have had an even larger pool of people ready to assist—they just needed to be asked.
The WBA’s 2024 Well-Being Conference focused on preventing burnout and building resilience. For many lawyers, especially female lawyers, no external force is greater than the pressure we put on ourselves. But the “Superwoman” image isn’t realistic and it isn’t sustainable. This year reinforced the importance of modeling the behavior and characteristics I want to see in the profession generally, and from our leaders specifically.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have had female managing partners at every firm at which I’ve worked, and so it is incredibly important to me that women in the profession have female leaders to look up to. I cannot overstate the impact this has had on my life and my career. So many studies show the value—for everyone—of having women in leadership positions. But there are many barriers to women entering leadership and staying there. I knew I wanted the focus of my presidency to be on encouraging and supporting women in leadership. I want more women in the profession to see themselves at the top of their organizations and feel like they have the skills and support necessary to be there.
We often focus on the substance of our work, but leadership requires so much more. Skills like business acumen help us understand the business side of our clients and the practical implications of the advice we give. Team intelligence helps us understand the dynamics of the teams we lead and find ourselves on. Resilience gives us the courage and confidence to move forward from mistakes. And understanding the difference between leadership and management helps us to know when we should be focusing on the why and what and the times when we should be focused on the how.
Each skill within the series is presented in two parts: a workshop providing the practical skills and a fireside chat with leaders who embody them. Why? Because there is tremendous value in understanding what a skill is and how to acquire it before engaging in conversations about ways to use it. It is my hope that those who attend the series will develop the skills to trust in themselves and their ability to lead.
Having a trusted team with whom you can be honest and vulnerable is critical to managing your career in any field. So much of being able to advocate for yourself involves having a support system to guide you through challenging moments and tough decisions. I’ve had mentors, sponsors, and advocates—women and men, both within and outside my field—who have intervened on my behalf, spoken my names in rooms, and offered help I didn’t know I needed. They have also helped me identify blind spots and growth areas.
When I go into a situation after consulting with my village, I feel prepared to present my case and handle any issue that may arise. I am calm and collected because I’ve had the opportunity to vent beforehand in a safe space. I have gotten feedback on my plan of action and sometimes I even rehearse my approach. I don’t always have time for this process, but over the years I’ve learned enough about myself and productive approaches to be able to implement it on the fly.
Advocating for yourself takes courage. And having a village supporting you at every step is crucial. What’s important is that you stand up for yourself and that you’re in an organization that respects you even if they don’t ultimately agree with you.
My advice for the next generation of leaders in the law is to find leaders who embody skills and characteristics you admire and ask them how they got there. What books did they read? What courses did they take? How have they managed disappointing moments in their careers? I strongly believe that the people around you want you to succeed. And most leaders can find a couple of minutes in their schedule to answer targeted questions about their career trajectories and leadership style.
It’s easy to look at the presentation of someone’s life and assume we know what it took for them to become a leader. The truth is often more complicated and, quite frankly, more interesting. I think the next generation needs to understand that most of the work happens behind the scenes and should keep that in mind when they think about their career paths.