Welcome failure as feedback

When inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before eventually succeeding.  When asked how it felt to fail so often, Edison replied that he had not failed at all—he had just discovered thousands of ways how not to make a light bulb.  We should all attempt to cultivate such a healthy attitude to failure, because it’s from our failures that we learn the most.  When we fail, we should analyze our mistake, figure out where we went wrong, and then try to discover a better method next time.   Failure is the best (and toughest) feedback there is!   

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Tell stories

Yesterday I mentioned that I hadn’t planned on posting anything but when I received Seth Godin’s blog, I thought it too timely (for us as lawyers) not to pass it on. Receiving his post today, I feel stirred to highlight his words again. Seth reminds us that it’s not logic that persuades and moves people, but stories and drama. This is great advice for all lawyers, whether we’re trying to influence colleagues or clients, because stories make people listen—and remember.

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Data Visualization

If you’ve read my book Juggling the Big 3 for Lawyers, you’ll realize that although I am a lawyer (who should love words), I’m really much more of a visual person. (Hence, the vast amount of illustrations and graphics filling my book!)

So when I came across this TED Video about conveying data in a visual format, I could really relate!

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Take care of yourself through easy meditation

As lawyers we know that things tend to happen at breakneck pace, leading to occasional feelings of being under constant pressure. At these times it’s important that you take care of yourself so you can remain (relatively!) calm and in control. Most lawyers aren’t hugely familiar with tools like meditation, but the truth is, just as your body needs regular exercise to remain fit and healthy, so does your mind. If you already meditate, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you, like me, find it hard to relax, sit still, or even temporarily shut your brain down, then you’re probably already protesting, “I don’t feel comfortable with that New Age stuff. Besides, it’s the fact that my brain’s always rushing around that gives me an edge!” Believe me, I know that feeling. But, like me, you also might just be wrong!

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Interpersonal skills are more valuable than experience

When Right Management (a part of Manpower, one of the global leaders in recruitment) asked more than 800 senior human resource professionals and other business leaders throughout North America what contributes most to accelerated performance, the results were as follows:

• Organizational culture/motivational fit 31%

• Interpersonal behaviors 26%

• Critical reasoning/judgment 21%

• Technical skills 12%

• Relevant experience 11%

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