by Gary Mitchell | Aug 31, 2021 | Re-booting your practice, Re-building your practice, The business of law
There is one constant in life and business, and that is change. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Learn some techniques and strategies to better cope with the stress associated with change and how to navigate it more effectively.
I am teaming up with LexisNexis to bring you this interactive live webinar. I will cover:
• Change in general
• Changing practice areas
• Changing locations
• Changing firms
If you are faced with change of any form, you won’t want to miss this strategy packed webinar. Bring your questions and take advantage of Gary’s 16 years of experience of working with lawyers from solo practice right up to international firms.
Register here.
by Gary Mitchell | Sep 12, 2018 | Growing your firm, Growing your practice, On Trac
Change is all about habits. Discarding old habits that don’t serve you and establishing new habits that do. You do this by making your best effort to put attention to practicing them everyday. When you do this, overtime they will become second nature. It might surprise you how quickly this can happen.
Prioritize: Whether it be forming new habits in your personal life or in business, it starts with one step at a time. Start with your top priority. What would you like to change first? Focus on that and when you are fairly comfortable and confident with this new habit, look at the next priority you would like to focus on.
Patience: Don’t be so hard on yourself. One step at a time. New behaviors take time to cement. But the more you practice the better you will get. It’s just like anything really. Once you understand this and have some success, any additional habits you’d like to change will come much easier and faster.
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of The United States
by Gary Mitchell | Jun 27, 2018 | Changing direction, On Trac, Your career
Transitioning to a new firm can be daunting, especially when you’ve been where you are for a long time. Things are comfortable. You know your way around. You know the people, the culture, the expectations.
Making a move means new people, new culture, new rules! And what about the uncertainty? Is this the right move? Will I fit in? It can be very stressful. Change is hard.
Ask yourself one simple question. ‘What prompted you to consider this move?’ It’s likely your gut telling you it’s time, it’s a better platform to work from, it’s a good move for your career.
Once you’ve made up your mind to make the move, start with a plan. Map out your way forward. Identify your key clients and the approach you will take to bring them with you. Reach out to your new firm, new partners and look for ways to create more cross-serving opportunities. This can be a great move for your clients and the clients of your new firm if you look at it that way.
With the right plan you can walk in the door of your new firm and hit the ground running and never look back!
by Gary Mitchell | Jun 13, 2018 | Changing direction, Growing your practice, Motivation
As a coach I am acutely aware of how people in general look at change. It’s big, scary, unknown, and can be intimidating; filled with apprehension. The funny thing about change is that it is one of the most ‘constants’ of our daily life.
If you are looking to change something, anything, it all starts with forming new habits. I encourage you not to look at how far you need to go, but look at what you can do today to start on the path forward.
Based on my work and my own life and business experience, the most important thing about forming new habits is consistency. It’s less important how much time you devote to this new habit, and far more important to do it every day-that builds the habit! Let’s face it, we are all busy, Some days you will have more time than others to focus on your new habit. That’s ok.
The other day I was at the gym. I had a busy day but decided a short work out was better than no work out. I was chatting with a couple of personal trainers about this. They work with people every day, just like me, helping them to form new habits. They both totally agreed that it was far more important to establish the ‘habit’, than how long you were doing it.
So, one day at a time. Whatever new habit you are looking to form, whether it’s about eating, exercise, business, relationships, giving more time to yourself; do something, even it it’s just a little focus, everyday. Before you know it, this new habit will become second nature, a part of your daily routine. And you will be one step closer to your goal. In fact, keep it up every day and before you know it, you won’t be able to live without it.
by Gary Mitchell | May 2, 2018 | Generational Differences, On Trac
The ones I’ve worked aren’t. One of the challenges they face is not having role models that match their values. In the legal industry a lot of the very senior lawyers have not exactly led a healthy lifestyle. Overworked and stressed out most of the time, and many of them on their 2nd, 3rd or 4th marriages. They don’t seem happy.
Millennials don’t see this path for themselves. While they are fully committed to their career advancement, they also want to have a life. They are not willing to sacrifice their health or the pursuit of having at least some life balance to work more. That is not lazy, that’s smart!
Times are a changing. Values are changing. This is the way most people think of what they want from life these days. Given the fact that they are the talent pool, I feel more companies and firms need to more to address these concerns.
Another interesting point about Millennials is that they are hungry for knowledge. They are keen to learn and grow. If they don’t get this opportunity they are more likely to look for it elsewhere. The simple remedy is to provide ongoing opportunities for them to learn, grow, and challenge themselves.
