Episode 15: Tamryn Jacobson

How important is it to have a competitive spirit – and to know when to be competitive and aggressive and when to reign it in? What’s the difference between mentorship and sponsorship, and how do these concepts affect your professional career?

 In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Tamryn Jacobson, a partner in the Litigation Group at Goodmans, and a cousin of Ilan Jacobson. Listen to the interview to hear Tamryn discuss her upbringing and what effect it had on her career, what decisions and choices Tamryn made that benefited her career, and what Tamryn thinks about whether most people are generally good people.

 Topics Discussed in This Episode

•  Tamryn’s childhood and when she moved to Canada
• The things from living a different way that affected Tamryn’s success and character
• Whether living under apartheid during childhood influenced Tamryn’s decision to go into litigation
• What Tamryn’s upbringing looked like
• Whether Tamryn experienced sexism in her career
• What Tamryn thinks she did right in her career
• Mentorship and sponsorship
• Tamryn’s opinion on the importance of a competitive spirit
• Tamryn’s thoughts on nature vs. nurture
• How to motivate someone who has to work harder to keep up
• How biases influence decision-making
• Whether Tamryn believes that people are generally good
• How to stay passionate in challenging situations
• What people get wrong about negotiation
• What percentage of the personality is nature or nurture

 Related Links

 Tamryn Jacobson

 Quotes From the Show

 “I think law, like most professions, certainly has – I’ll say a bias against women.”

 “You build relationships with people, you build trust with people, and it’s not necessarily you asking them to do you favors, but by proving yourself to people you might be able to get them to want to advance your career.”

 “I think typically men are more willing to ask for things than women.”