Wholehearted living with Rani
What attracted you to the LOD model?
When you start out in the working world, there is a lot of talk about culture and fit. Most of us buy into it and yearn to find that “forever workplace”. I suppose it is only natural when you spend most of your waking hours at work, to want to find a place with values you could embrace; a place that feels like you.
I never found that prior to LOD, and I think it is because there was, and still is, an over-emphasis on being a specialist in either the type of legal work you do or on becoming an industry specialist. I have always thrived on learning new skills and acquiring fresh knowledge – which is not something that happens too often when you start becoming a specialist in what you do.
That is what attracted me to the LOD model. As an LOD consultant, I am in environments that are constantly changing, providing me with a steady flow of opportunities for the type of professional and personal growth and development that I value. This is why I became an LOD consultant.
Tell us about your time with LOD and how it has supported you in your career.
Prior to LOD, I worked predominantly as an in-house commercial and arbitration lawyer in the construction and RE industries, and in government organisations on international advisory work. With LOD, I have had the opportunity to work in diverse industries such as education, fintech and payments, i.e. industries that I did not think I would ever work in, with my pre-LOD limiting mindset.
Having a career in the traditional sense is not a value of mine. My value is wholehearted living, in the sense propounded by Dr. Brené Brown, and LOD has supported me exceptionally well in embracing that value.
How has your experience been working with LOD clients?
LOD clients in the Middle East are mainly MNCs, and that means that as an LOD consultant one works in quality environments with high caliber talent. This is an incredibly rewarding experience. That being said, no workplace comes without its share of politics. Being an LOD consultant however, one does not need to ever be concerned about the politics of a workplace, as an LOD consultant is there to plug a specific client need. The consultant’s career progression is not directly linked to the client. This, I have always found to be refreshing and liberating.
What are the best things about being an LOD Consultant?
To me, these are some of the best things about being an LOD consultant:
- I get to switch off from work completely after 6 p.m. every weekday, and not work at all during the weekends.
- I have the option to take the summer off work fully to take my children home to Malaysia and India to visit their extended family.
- I get to experience different industries and work cultures.
- I get to meet new people all the time and work with them closely, learning from them and continually widen my social network of meaningful connections.
- I am always challenged as there is a steep learning curve in every assignment I take on.
If there is one good thing that has come out of the pandemic, it is the urgent reminder that the most important value in our lives are our families and physical and mental wellbeings. Being an LOD consultant allows me to invest in those.
What advice would you give new LOD Consultants starting out or someone considering a more flexible and slightly alternative legal career?
Know your values in life, and keep an open mind about the opportunities that could lead you to, or enrich those values.
How do you spend your time when you are not on secondment?
Marci Alboher’s ‘One Person Multiple Careers’ is what comes to mind. Alboher talks about how today’s most fulfilling lives are the ones filled with slashes.
So, when I am not an LOD consultant, I am mostly a/an: Mother to two boys / Professional photographer / Writer / Researcher / Voracious reader / Friend.
If you're interested in learning more about working with LOD, click here.