We all have stress. I picture an empty room where challenges keep coming at me from straight in front of me, the top left corner, the middle right corner, or wherever. Well, you get the idea. The point is that challenges keep coming at us from all angles as if we are in a video game trying to move forward. Some challenges are exciting and invigorating while others are hard and stressful. They never stop, nor does the need to manage the daily and regular stress of dealing with these challenges.

Many times this is easier said than done. When…
Continue Reading Manage stress for a better and healthier life

During the first decade of my career I mainly had one main formal mentor and a number of informal mentors. Most of my mentors were attorneys or judges, which makes sense given my chosen profession. Others were in different professions or businesses. The string running through all of those relationships was the professional and life lessons I learned from each one, many of which I follow to this day.

In one case with someone I considered to be an informal mentor, I’m sure the other person didn’t know I considered him to be a mentor. I never said anything because…
Continue Reading Mentoring Relationships Benefit Personal and Professional Growth

Success comes from constantly assessing the results from actions you take and adjusting depending on what is working or not. If something you’re doing is not successful, you’ve got to change it or try something new. The funny thing is that the flip side is the same: if something you’re doing is successful it helps to tweak or change it to see if it can be even more successful.

Trying something new is good for you. You can work on how you generate or create business, how you organize your workspace, or you can stop at the corner coffee shop…
Continue Reading The road to success means constantly assessing and changing the actions you’re taking

You may not think it but it’s good to be the dumbest person in the room, knowing it, and acknowledging it to others when you want to learn. This allows you an opportunity to learn that otherwise would be lost. The room may be full of people or just one other person. The point is all of us can learn no matter whether you view yourself as a leader or not.

By the way, you know we all are leaders. You may have heard a saying similar to leading up and down. We all have a role to play and…
Continue Reading Stay curious

Recently I was speaking with a young attorney who was lamenting the workload and hours the partners at his firm expected of him and talking about his time at night and on the weekends being his time, not theirs. This struck me because when I was a young attorney I expected to work hard and do whatever was asked of me as I learned a profession. I think that attitude and hard work taught me the profession of law and was part of the road to any professional success i have had. The point is I didn’t expect the it…
Continue Reading Life isn’t easy — get used to it

Each of us is a part of group in relation to our work. You’re part of the company where you work, but probably also are part of smaller formal groups comprised of you and co-workers, as well as part of other professional, industry, or similar groups outside of your company. In every group there is a dynamic of those who speak and those who generally don’t. There also is a dynamic of those who interrupt or ignore those patiently and quietly waiting to speak. This usually leads to the same person or people driving the discussion and the decisions made…
Continue Reading Sometimes those who don’t speak have the most to say

If I make a misrepresentation to a client, opposing counsel, or a judge the reputation I have worked to build for years will be ruined in an instant. The same is true for you if you lie to people you do business with. Once you are caught in a lie, all of your truths become questionable.

Early in my career I heard an experienced attorney say “a half-truth equals a whole lie.” This is simple and there are no exceptions. Anything not one-hundred percent true is a lie. And note that it’s far easier to remember the truth than a lie.

Of…
Continue Reading #TruthMatters

If you compare your life with that of others around you, especially those you believe to be more successful or happy than you, you will be unhappy in your life. Teddy Roosevelt said “Comparison is the thief of joy” more than a century ago and it still rings true today. The point is to not be envious of others or, more accurately, of what you perceive the success or happiness of others to be.

Just because you think someone has a better job title or seems to have more money than you doesn’t mean it’s true. The person you view…
Continue Reading Comparison is the thief of joy

Poor time management limits success more than most people realize. The people you work for, whether bosses or clients, will notice if you show up late or miss a deadline. When you do it reflects poorly on you and your company, and how you deal with being called out does too. If you struggle with punctuality, you need to fix that now.

Being casually late to a social event is acceptable, but being late to a business meeting isn’t. Showing up late to a business meeting sends a few different messages including that the meeting isn’t important or a priority…
Continue Reading Be on time every time

Many people sugarcoat what they say to save other’s feelings. I think this is because most people shy aware from potentially confrontational conversations or don’t know how to effectively communicate something negative or that is constructive criticism. If you are unable or unwilling to have honest, hard conversations with your peers and employees it’s detrimental to your business. It also effectively trains the next generation of up and coming leaders to continue a work environment in which communicating about negative topics or trying to course correct doesn’t happen.

It reminds me of a quote from Zig Ziglar: “The only thing…
Continue Reading Communication is hard: work to improve how you communicate constructive criticism

Many attorneys (and I assume others) have this somewhat canned response when someone asks them how it’s going. It’s generally some version of “It’s another day” or “Different day, same stuff.” The message being communicated is that the day and stuff is the same, is a slog, and what they’re saying is negative in tone. They focus on the negative and not what they have to be positive about or grateful for. Maybe they truly feel that way. I feel at times that it’s some odd form of attorney bonding on the alleged misery of the work being done, their…
Continue Reading Being grateful

Inspiration can hit you anytime. When it does, you know it instantly. Many times it is inconvenient. When this happens, you have to take steps to not lose it.

It happens to me at different times and all the time. It can be in the middle of the night, when I’m at my desk working, when I’m in a conversation, or at what is likely a very inconvenient time. When it does I use the Notes app on my phone. Pen and  paper work, but your phone is with you all the time. You want access to those thoughts and notes and…
Continue Reading Inspiration matter so don’t lose yours

What are  you doing right now? Are you focusing on reading these words, or do you have an eye on your email, texts, social media, or maybe all of them?  Or are you on the phone?  We all think we can do this and do it well, but the truth is we can’t. Real multi-tasking is not achievable.

When I am on the phone during the day, I can hear the keyboard and mouse clicks on the other end of the line. I try to be optimistic and think they are taking notes or looking up something relevant to the…
Continue Reading Focus: multi-tasking is a way to do many things halfway at the same time