If you didn’t know experience and opportunity matter before, I’ll bet you do now after being trapped inside for so long during the pandemic. Think of travelling or meeting new and different people. In the near future you may be offered an opportunity for an experience. Will you take it? Does it challenge the boundaries of your comfort zone? It’s even better if so. Experiences and people make you and your life more interesting, which will provide you with other opportunities. Sometimes the experience will breed opportunity. I recently sold a car. The couple who purchased it were very nice.…

Many people exist on the surface. By this I mean they know a little about a lot, but not the opposite. This can create a short conversation, but no chance to really learn more on a subject. The more knowledge you have on a subject, the better chance for you to be viewed as an expert and someone people look to. Whatever you do for a living, people are looking for your expertise. All day everyday, people are looking for help from people who have gone deep and know what it takes to get the job done. People don’t hire…

People enjoy being in their comfort zones. The challenge is in order to grow change is essential, but getting people out of their comfort zones is hard. Adapting to change is important because it’s inevitable. If you choose not to keep up you will be left behind. A great example is technology. No matter what you do for a living, technology is improved or created, and then you have to (or some may view it as forced to) learn to incorporate it in your daily work routines. For attorneys, it could be a new billing software, document management software or…

Your business has a specific culture whether you are aware of it or not. All corporate cultures have been affected over the past year during the pandemic. The changes may be good or bad, depending on your view, but know where your company’s culture ends up as we move forward will be different than what it was in early 2020. The question is what do you want your corporate culture to be? This question has many answers and the new procedures or rules you implement for your business will drive where your culture goes. Some threshold issues are whether your…

A few weeks ago I wrote about checking in on your goals. I was inspired bya goal I was working towards: a very long one-day hike in the Grand Canyon and the idea I would emerge at the top of the Grand Canyon at the end of the hike feeling physically well. I have long been a hiker. This year I have been on a hiking tear. I enjoy hiking and it’s a great way to take a break and relieve stress. Despite hiking more or hiking less during and through the years, this year I was focused on my…

Setting goals is as important as it’s difficult. Once you do, you need to review your goals regularly. In addition to reading and reviewing your goals, you need to assess where you are and whether a goal needs to be revised. Sometimes you don’t know a goal needs to be revised until you’re on the road trying to reach the goal. Once it becomes clear change is needed, make it. There is no reason to follow steps you have sketched out if you find there is a better path. If you don’t review your goals it’s unlikely you will reach…

We’re a year into the pandemic from when schools, businesses and most of the country shut down. Some businesses were able to transition in this environment with minimal disruption to productivity, while others weren’t. Your business may be back to operating in the manner it was before everything shut down. As a member of a law firm, we aren’t there, and likely won’t return to how things were at the beginning of March 2020. Attorneys at our firm were long able to log in remotely from home or elsewhere (or vacation…). Our IT people did amazing work deploying all attorneys,…

Some time ago I mentioned if we all were the same, the world would be a boring place. This remains a favorite saying of mine. In relation to work, there always are “in” jobs and professions, or the new better way to do your job. In reality, there are many ways to do the same job. Certain tasks may have specific steps, but otherwise, creativity and differences reign. No matter your business or where you work, it is your individuality that makes you stand out to others. It also is your creativity and the ability to think outside of the…

Do people see you as you see yourself? If so, is that a positive? Are you kind to those you deal with throughout your day? The point of these questions is kindness is a choice . If you practice it, your path likely will be smoother and people will see you in a good light. They may think you are cool or courageous, or simply nice. Any or all of these support a good reputation. I think kindness is cool and can be courageous. The situation dictates how something like kindness is interpreted by others. I sure would rather be…

I heard someone being interviewed and they mentioned a goal to destroy apathy. Given that apathy is the lack of motivation, this makes sense. It can seem pervasive at times with your children, younger employees and others. You know you have felt it too. I heard this statement and thought “that’s right, we need to destroy apathy” and show people the steps to success. Many people look at success and see an image in their mind. Some see the hard work and motivation it takes to become successful, but some don’t. A lot of people see how it’s portrayed on…

Comfort is a killer of creativity and improvement. When you’re comfortable, there is a feeling you can coast, doing the same old, same old, and it causes many people to stagnate personally or professionally. That doesn’t mean they won’t be happy or maintain their position and role, but they will be stuck under a false glass ceiling they created. When you come up with ideas and try new things you are trying to break through the artificial ceiling you have allowed to stop your growth. It’s part of growth and improvement for you and your business. Some ideas will work…

It’s Friday. I like to post new blog posts in the middle of the week when you likely are ready for a short break from the work in front of you. We all are too focused and busy on Mondays, and by Friday we are trying to get things done before people shut down for the weekend. I missed that window this week. I could list the reasons this happened, but, if I’m honest with myself, I could have found time to write and make a post prior to today. I was really busy this week, but I could have…

This is an old saying, which is true in many contexts. In the workplace diversity makes for a better and stronger workforce. It means more than tolerance of differences. Instead, it’s the recognition and understanding differences provide ideas, create connections and enrich the human connection. Be clear diversity is broad, and includes more differences than most people think of. Of course it includes ethnicity, religion and sex, but there are many more types of diversity that can benefit your workforce. These include age, experience, disability, and culture. Focusing on diversity has tangible and intangible benefits for your business. These include…