Sakina Rasheed Foster, managing partner of the Dallas office, is featured in Law.com’s How I Made It column discussing her path to becoming Dallas office managing partner of Haynes Boone.
Read an excerpt of the article below:
What do you think was the deciding point for the firm in electing/promoting you to your current role? While we are an international firm, Haynes Boone started in Dallas over 50 years ago and Dallas is home to our largest office. Dallas has been my home for over 33 years, and I have a deep love and appreciation for our dynamic city, which makes the role of Dallas office managing partner a true honor. Our core values as a firm include active leadership in our local business, legal and philanthropic communities, civility and humility and diversity, equity and inclusion. Those are also values I strive to embody, and I believe are critical to the role of Dallas office managing partner. I am passionate about gender equity for women in Texas and serve on the board of the Texas Women’s Foundation and am a member of the Orchid Giving Circle, which focuses on philanthropic giving to organizations that serve the Asian community in North Texas. I also co-chair the alumnae group for the Women’s Leadership Institute, an experiential leadership program for women executives. I believe I was chosen for the Dallas office managing partner role because my goals and priorities align closely with the firm’s strategic goals. …
What’s the best piece of advice you give to someone who wants to rise up the ranks to lead an office? Treat people with kindness and respect, use your sphere of influence to help others and, as I learned in the Women’s Leadership Institute, “in the absence of a leader, be one.” As a young lawyer, I thought a job title is what gave people the ability to drive change or lead an initiative. But I learned that true leadership is not tied to a title. It is tied to stepping up and helping your team achieve a goal, building trust through mutual respect and treating others with dignity. No matter where you are on the organizational chart, you can drive change by being an upstander. I am also proud to be the first woman and first Asian American to be in the role of Dallas office managing partner at our firm. Some of the best advice I ever received was that when you are the “first” at something, make sure you help elevate others so that you are not the “last” – and that is certainly something I focus on in my career. …
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self and/or what would you do differently? I am frankly not sure I would do anything differently—not because I did things perfectly (far from it!) but because my mistakes and missteps have all been learning opportunities that helped me grow and shape who I am. That being said, I would tell my younger self to ditch the self-doubt, not be so worried about what others think of me and let go of the fear of not being perfect. In retrospect, I realize that I would often let those self-defeating thoughts stop me from sharing my views or speaking up in work situations. Thankfully after 20 years in the profession, and a firm that encourages mutual respect and trust, I use my voice and encourage others to do the same.
To read the full Law.com column, click here.
