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Chad Aboud has spent years helping lawyers find careers that actually fit. As Chief Commercial Officer at �鶹��Ƶ, he's found the ideal vehicle for his mission. Zak Biggs spoke with him about finding your natural gift, and the question every lawyer should be asking — of others, and themselves.

ZB: What do you say to lawyers considering making a change?

CA: Lawyers are conditioned to be risk-averse. It's literally core to our training to be rewarded for finding problems. So the default question becomes: what if it doesn't work out? What if I leave the firm or my in-house role and can't find my own clients? That question is loud, and it crowds out everything else.

But every single week I see another lawyer make the leap. Someone who was terrified, who had every reason to stay put. And then they find the most gratifying era of their entire practice. The reframe is simple: what if it does work out? Because the evidence, from where I'm sitting, is pretty overwhelming.

ZB: What does "working out" look like to you?

CA: Impact, agency, autonomy. At the end of your career, when you look back, have you made a difference and done it on your terms? I've never met a lawyer who found that version of success and wished they'd stayed on their previous path.

ZB: You talk about helping lawyers find their gift. What does that mean?

CA: We all have things we're naturally gifted at. Things we do even when no one asks us to, even if we aren’t paid. That's your nine out of ten. The problem is, we almost never view it as our gift. Because it’s so easy and natural for us, we assume it’s easy (and not valuable) to others. So I give lawyers a simple exercise: ask three people what you naturally do to lift others, without incentive, without being asked. You'll likely hear the same words from all three. That’s your gift.

ZB: Why do lawyers struggle to see their gifts?

CA: Legal training optimizes for execution. Over time, the things that come effortlessly to you, such as the way you build trust, the way you hold a room, the way you ask "why" until you get to the real answer, stop feeling like skills. So lawyers spend years being told to get better at their threes and fours out of ten, and nobody ever tells them to double down on their nines. It’s your unique skills that drive your ability to have a meaningful impact on the world around you.

ZB: What's your gift?

CA: I'm deeply relational. I ask "why" a lot. Sometimes four times in a row. I do it because I want to understand what someone means, not just what they said. I've been told I make people feel heard in a way that gives them permission to be honest. That lesson has made all the difference in my career path, the impact I have, and the meaning I take from my work.

If you're a lawyer ready to find your ideal way to practice, visit goodlawyer.ca or connect with Chad on LinkedIn .