One Attorney’s Struggle With Addiction Shines Light on Deeper Problem
Every January, a group of lawyers I used work with went on a “diet.” It’s in quotes because, as one partner explained, the diet was an excuse to prove to…
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Chasing the Elusive Work-Life Balance
What do we mean when we talk about work-life balance? Usually a feeling that things are off-kilter between career and the other domains in life, particularly family time. Many of…
Investing in Lawyer Well-Being—Why It Matters
Back when I was practicing law, I had the privilege of arguing before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The court was six hours away, and my boss directed me to leave two…
When It Comes to Sleep You Can’t Trick Mother Nature
If I told you that I have a product that will give you more energy, help maintain a healthy weight and improve your mood and performance at work, would you…
Being a Lawyer Can Be Lonely—But It Doesn’t Have to Be
When I was a young lawyer, I mentioned a hobby of mine in front of my boss, something I did in my free time. My boss, the managing partner of…
A Novel Way to Create Change in the New Year and Beyond
In the early days of 2019, you may be asking yourself, with respect to the previous year, what just happened? What kind of year was it for me? How do…
Mentors, Mentees and What to Wear for a Successful Career
I reconnected with an early mentor recently when an old piece of business brought us back together again. At the time we worked together, I appreciated his guidance—he showed me…
Apply Lessons Learned at the Gym to Your Career
In many ways, the gym is a microcosm of work, family and life. The way you interact while working out can have a big impact on your personal and professional…
Pro Bono Work: Helping You Gain Skills While Doing the Right Thing
October is pro bono month and the Pennsylvania Bar Association will observe the National Celebration of Pro Bono Week from Oct. 21-27. The Rules of Professional Conduct encourage, but do…
Those Habits That Are Working Against You Need to Go—For Good
Did you ever stop to think that our daily actions are a simply a collection of habits formed at various stages of our lives and rarely, if ever, re-examined to…
From Piles to Files-How Getting Organized Can Transform Your Business
Recently, I was on the phone with a fellow coach who asked about my personality type from an assessment taken in the past. I didn’t recall, so while still on…
Networking: Why Is It So Important and Can You Get Better at It?
Networking has been defined as “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.” That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Support? Sharing?…
Cycling Through Life’s Career Highs, Lows and Uncertain Times
You know the feeling—you just got a new job, client or case and you’re all charged up. Ignited by the challenge, you are optimistic, goal oriented, focused and excited. During…
Too Many Choices! From Staplers to Blue Jeans, Try to Keep It Simple
Adding options increases expectations people have about how good they will be and, Schwartz says, that produces less satisfaction with the results, even when they are good. I recently needed…
Silence Is Your Secret Weapon: Use It to Gain Insight
If you want to get more information, better intelligence and clarity, consider allowing silence to play a supporting role in your communication style. It can be used to great effect.…
The ‘Philly Special’: A Lesson in Leadership, Teamwork
On the field of life, leadership and team work look a lot like they do on the field of sports. It’s all about creating a culture where diverse opinions are…
Secret to Success: Your Business Needs a Purpose and a Plan
Are you looking for ways to simplify decision-making for your business or your life? Instead of agonizing endlessly, would you prefer having standards that automatically and organically eliminate some options…
Grit: The Secret Ingredient of Success in Your Career and Beyond
The first time I heard the word “grit” was in the title of a 1969 movie, “True Grit,” the story of 14-year-old Mattie Ross, who hires Rooster Cogburn, a tough,…
Stress Is On the Rise: Take Steps to Manage It
The other day, I began typing the word “coping” into a Google search and before I could even finish, Google began to populate search results which included coping with Hurricane…
The Informational Interview That Changed My Life
When clients reach a career crossroad, I often suggest informational interviewing to scope out a prospective new role, firm, industry or career path. That suggestion is almost always met with…
Leadership: How to Win Others Over the Old-School Way
Every year, new books on leadership come out and the business world hungrily buys, reads and digests them. Book summary companies provide compressed descriptions for busy executives, professional service providers…
Personality Assessments: The Results Are in, Now What?
Back in February, I wrote about the importance of personality assessments to make good career decisions. It featured an interview with Dr. Robert Hogan, co-founder of Hogan Assessment Systems and…
Make Smart Decisions by Fighting Confirmation Bias
If you are reading this, you are probably an investigator. It may not be your job title, but if you are a lawyer, auditor, doctor, HR business partner, manager, executive,…
Visualize a Path to Action to Achieve Your Goals
How do you decide what to pay attention to in a world where an onslaught of images and messages is constantly delivered by way of a myriad of devices along…
Win-Win Negotiation—How to Strike Better Deals
A judge once told me that a successful settlement occurs when the plaintiff thinks he did not get enough and the defendant that he gave away too much. This viewpoint…
Cracking Confidence—What It Is and How to Have It
In “The Confidence Code,” authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman attempt to glean the mysteries of self-confidence. The subtitle, “The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know” nails more…
How Personality Assessments Can Help Your Career
I have often said that I didn’t begin to know myself until I was in my 30’s and by then was already a litigator. An unhappy one. I chose to…
Patience, Progress and House Plants
Lately, the concept of patience has been on my mind as my clients and I embark on new goals, dreams and endeavors. Change is a process rather than event, and…
Lawyers and Marketing – What You Need to Know and Didn’t Learn in School
Last year, I read a post on LinkedIn titled, “Why Don’t Law Schools Teach the #1 Factor for Success?” It was authored by Cole Silver, director of client relations at…
New Year Resolution: Be Proactive in Your Choices
I am not a big fan of New Year resolutions. Turning the calendar page from December to January does not make one eager or ready to change long-standing habits and…
Working From Home: The Good, the Bad and the Laundry
More people are telecommuting than ever before. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, 37 percent of U.S. workers have telecommuted, four times greater than the 9 percent found in 1995.…
The Thrill and Adventure of Working at a Startup
What’s next on your bucket list professionally? Do you ever think of starting your own business or joining a startup? Working for a new enterprise can be exhilarating, especially when…
Multitasking Is Not an Effective Way to Work
I distinctly recall the first time I heard the word multitasking. It was in the late 1990s and I was in a colleague’s office for a meeting. She was sitting…
Make Play Work for You—Be More Productive and Have Fun
As children, we learn every day how to do life, from the basics of how to eat, get dressed, tie our shoes to more complex educational and societal lessons. Children…
How Mindfulness Can Help You Professionally
“In order to practice, you must be present in your mind,” said the yoga teacher at the beginning of a recent class. So it goes with any practice whether it…
Life Lesson from LeBron James
I am not a sports fan – just want to state that up front. Nothing against it, but I don’t follow professional athletics or root for any teams. What does…
If I Could Coach Donald Trump
Trump, like all of us, can change and actually become more effective a leader. But transformation doesn’t magically happen without awareness. They want to like him, they really, really do.…
Do Not Underestimate Your Own Power in Your Career
What do you do when you need a little inspiration? A nudge to get you going? Reassurance that you can make it work? Affirmation that you are enough? Arianna Huffington…
How to Handle Professional Setbacks and Move Forward
It feels like 1994 all over again as the world revisits the O.J. Simpson criminal trial in the television series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” The often…
When It Comes to Your Career, Avoid Fallacy of ‘Sunk Costs’
In a recent episode of the television show “Better Call Saul,” the titular lawyer who has scrambled and struggled to earn a living decides to call it quits with the…
Transform Your Leadership Skills Through ‘Crucial Conversations’
Do you dread and procrastinate initiating discussions when you think others will respond negatively to what you have to say? Are you hesitant to voice an opinion because you presume…
Strategies for Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
When I think of a brand new year, I envision a beautiful, tranquil lake, so still that it mirrors everything surrounding it. Nothing has happened yet to disturb or disrupt…
Young Lawyers Can Benefit From a Good Mentor Relationship
During this country’s infancy, lawyers were educated and trained for the profession not by attending law school, but through an apprenticeship with a practicing attorney. At the start of the…
Identifying Core Values Aids in Making Career Decisions
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are,” Roy Disney said. Identifying core values helps individuals and companies make decisions that chart the course for…
Finding Ways to Maintain Civility With Your Competitors
On Sept. 8, sisters Serena and Venus Williams squared off during the U.S. Open in a match that could have had historical significance for Serena Williams, who was closing in…
Tips for Developing Self-Confidence So You Can Flourish
Last month, I wrote about the rising recognition of emotional intelligence as a key factor in successful leadership using the new movie “Inside Out” to illustrate points about anger and…
How to Harness Emotional Intelligence to Ensure Success
The new animated movie “Inside Out” takes the audience inside the brain of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, where her responses to situations are governed by five emotions personified. They…
Cultivate Optimism to Grow Your Practice and Your Life
Are you a natural optimist? When adversity strikes, do you tell yourself it’s temporary and not your fault and consider all of the things in your life that are going…
The Resilience Factor in Building a Network and Marketing
For the last few months, I have been writing about the importance of building a network and marketing. Regardless of whether you are in public service or the private sector,…
Two Marketing Standbys to Get Your Process Going
For some people who are finishing up school or are in the early stages of a career, the M-word they fear most is marriage. For many, though, that word is…
The Power of an Hour – Part II (This Time it’s Personal)
I have a confession to make. The “before” picture you see above (left) is not a stock image found on the internet by searching “clutter.” It is a room in…
It’s Time to Make the Effort to Build Your Network
Relationships have always been important to me. My natural inclination is to maintain them. It follows that I am still in touch with people from grade school on, professors I…
How to Have a More Successful Career by Knowing Yourself
As Joseph Campbell said, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” It is never too early or late to discern preferences, natural talent and hone in on…
Identifying and Improving on the Positives in Your Career
When we think about what we want to accomplish in the coming year, we generally focus on how we want to change ourselves, what we didn’t like about our behavior…
Following Through on Your Goals in 2015
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know.…
How to Make the First Steps Toward a Happy Career
We live in a world where the expectation is that we’ll know what we want to do at 18, select an appropriate major, graduate from college and be headed toward…
Giving Can Increase Your Happiness and Success
“Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.” – Ben Carson Pennsylvania Pro Bono Week is scheduled from Oct. 19-25, during which the Pennsylvania Bar Association…
Mastering the Art of Career Transitions
Brenda was 57 years old when she was suddenly laid off from a major Philadelphia law firm in 2011 after 20 years. This is the story of how she learned…
Seeing the High Holidays as an Opportunity for Change
When you look back on last year, are there things you did or did not do that you wish you could change for the new year? Rosh Hashanah marks the…
Unearthing Your Own Renewable Energy
When you make a decision to boost your career, heighten your profile, improve your life, stop putting off important goals and be your best, one of the first steps is…
Emotional Preparation Leads to Better Results
In the daily life of a lawyer, events are scheduled that require varying degrees of preparation. Going to court, conducting a negotiation or mediation, interviewing a prospect, meeting with a…
Complaining: How It’s Affecting Your Work and Life
A fortune cookie reminded me recently of a topic I have been wanting to cover in this column. It said: “You can’t expect to be a lucky dog if you’re…
Your Business May Need Spring Cleaning Too
If you want to attract new clients, start a business, or get more done, you will be well served by evaluating the extent to which physical clutter is impacting your…
Effective Niche Marketing for Lawyers
Niche marketing describes a firm narrowing down its focus to stand out from a marketing perspective. There are many advantages to carving out a niche legal practice. Marketing to a…
Bouncing Back Is a Key Component of Success
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela April 10 is a big day for historical accomplishments. On this day in 1866, The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty…
How to Change Your Life at Any Age
A common refrain from clients is that it’s too late to alter the direction of their lives, as though our course is set and deviation simply not possible. This is…
Make a Contract With Yourself to Reach Desired Goals
A common issue with long-term goal-setting is the lack of short-term payoff. When faced with instant gratification against future gains, the temptation to cave in to the “now” can be…
How to Communicate With Intention
Global law firm Clifford Chance was in the news recently because of a memo it circulated called “Presentation Tips for Women,” which contained 163 nuggets of practical advice for its…
Food for Thought: Context, Content, Communication
A recent headline captured my attention: “Sting Compromised by Affair.” I thought, “Sting had an affair??” For me, Sting is a rock star. In reality, the story was about a…
Lost and Found
On Friday, November 1, 2013, 7,000 women poured into the Pennsylvania Convention Center to explore the “power of possibilities” at the 10th annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women. The day undulated…
Channeling Tim Gunn: How Fashion’s Favorite Mentor Models Coaching Practices
Using skills identified through the ICF Core Competencies, coaches employ a variety of techniques to motivate our clients to excel and, in turn, find our own inspiration in art, literature,…
Mad Man Wants to Change
Coaches are often asked what the difference is between coaching and therapy. Illustrations can illuminate ideas more readily than explanations, and examples are readily found in popular culture. The new…
Ask a Coach: How to approach a job interview
Q: I am starting to interview for jobs after just graduating from college. Can you give me a quick list of essential do’s and don’ts when interviewing? Dear Client, Congratulations…
A Coach Goes To Court
The intersection of a dual career – coaching and practicing law -was experienced dramatically when I argued a case before the Commonwealth’s highest court; the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Lawyers train…