Lean Adviser's ALM sibling, The American Lawyer, just ran an article about the changing legal workplace. Generational differences, gender differences, expectational disconnects — it's all there. Nobody ever said law firm leadership was easy, but it suddenly got a lot harder.

Today's law firm leaders can no longer teach as they were taught or lead as they were led. When they were newly minted associates, they went to the school of hard knocks. This was seen as a rite of passage, and those who administered the tough teaching had been through the same.

None of that will wash anymore. What was once "battle hardening" is now bullying and it's unacceptable. If ever you wanted proof of how different generations have polarized attitudes, look at the divergent reactions to the recent Paul Hastings story.