John R. Kormanik
MISSION: RECLAIM THE LAW AS A NOBLE PROFESSION
MISSION: RECLAIM THE LAW AS A NOBLE PROFESSION
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From Solo to CEO: 4 Things This Law Firm Owner Did To Scale His Firm

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From Solo to CEO: 4 Things This Law Firm Owner Did To Scale His Firm

When “Bob” and I first teamed up, he was stuck in a cycle so many law former solos find themselves in—buried in casework, making all the key decisions, and unable to step back without things grinding to a halt. He knew he needed a stronger team, but hiring felt risky. What if he picked the wrong person? What if delegation led to mistakes? As a law firm owner, Bob understood reputation is everything.

Here are the steps “Bob” took to get out of the solo-practitioner bottleneck to setting the vision, creating the right culture, and building a team that could operate at a high level…

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Leading with Energy, Empathy, and Authority: How to Balance Connection and Command in Leadership

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Leading with Energy, Empathy, and Authority: How to Balance Connection and Command in Leadership

Effective leadership requires a delicate balance between empathy and authority. Many believe these qualities are polar opposites, but in reality, they are complementary forces that can transform your leadership style. The ability to connect with your team while maintaining strong decision-making skills is what separates good leaders from great ones.

In this blog post, you’ll explore the dynamics of energy leadership, how to find the right balance between empathy and authority, and practical strategies to implement this approach in your leadership style. By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to create a high-performing, engaged team that thrives under your leadership.

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Beyond Goal Setting: Why Vision is the Missing Piece in Achieving Your Goals

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Beyond Goal Setting: Why Vision is the Missing Piece in Achieving Your Goals

The problem isn’t in the goals themselves—it’s what comes before them. Without a clear, compelling vision to guide us, goal setting becomes nothing more than an exercise in chasing numbers. So, let’s shake things up. Let’s talk about why vision, not goals, is the key to success and how you can cast a vision that guarantees your goals are both achievable and aligned with the life you truly want.

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Master Your Energy: Pave the Way to Success

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Master Your Energy: Pave the Way to Success

Every client I work with undergoes an Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Assessment at the beginning and end of our coaching relationship. The ELI not only evaluates the current state of a client’s energy but also establishes a shared language for discussing mindset under various stressors, such as leadership challenges, performance pressure, and workload management. 

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Your $400,000 Minute: How to Own the True Value of Your Time

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Your $400,000 Minute: How to Own the True Value of Your Time

In a world where time is the one resource we can’t reclaim, understanding its true value is transformative. Imagine this: your time is worth $400,000 per minute. What would change in your life if you adopted this mindset? This perspective isn't about wealth or material possessions; it’s about valuing every moment as an opportunity to lead, strategize, and create impact.

Let’s explore why you are served by shifting from a rate-based mindset to a value-based approach to time. For professionals like lawyers, whose days are often consumed by the grind broken down into 6-minute increments, this change is essential for success and fulfillment.

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3 Key Steps to Creating a Champion’s Mindset

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In a commencement speech Roger Federer gave at Dartmouth in June 2024, he shared an unsurprising statistic: he won 80% of his matches. Makes total sense for the GOAT. He shared something else, though, that people don’t necessarily equate with being the greatest tennis player ever: Roger won only 54% of the total points he has played as a professional. That means he “failed” 46% of the time.

Here’s what Roger said…

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Mastering the Art of Letting Go: How Law Firm Leaders Can Delegate Effectively

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Back in the day, when I started my law firm I leaned into doing more than I ought to have—client work, marketing, networking, admin work, everything. It was a different story when I started my coaching business because I had learned to let go, focus on the things I was good at and that moved the needle for my business, that I truly experienced the power of leveraging my team. Delegation is about creating time and space for what only you can do: lead, strategize, and envision the future.

In this post, I’ll break down the four levels of delegation and, more importantly, how you can embrace the pinnacle—**Designing**—to achieve growth and freedom.

Let’s start with the mental roadblocks. If you’ve ever hesitated to delegate, chances are one of these is to blame…

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Case Study: How One Law Firm CEO Broke Through Limiting Beliefs With Executive Coaching.

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“When you challenged my thinking by asking why I was thinking so small, it hurt.” Is this statement positive or negative? 

One of the many reasons to work with me as your executive coach is to gain a fresh perspective—a perspective that challenges you to see when you’re holding yourself back from reaching your full potential. The saying goes: You can’t read the ingredients on the cereal box from the inside. In other words, you often can’t recognize the limits of your mindset when you’re “in it.” A recent coaching session with a law firm CEO offered a vivid reminder of this truth.

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Case Study: Stepping Off the Hamster Wheel

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I coach high-achieving attorneys around the globe. One of the best ways to ensure my clients continue to grow and avoid stagnation is to empower them to think differently about success, stagnation, and comfort. Leveraging the power and clarity of a Likert scale, we explore their current state. When my clients reach an 8, 9, or 😅 10 out of 10 on the scale, it’s time to add some spice 🌶️ to the mix. I’ll break down a discussion from a recent coaching session to demonstrate what I mean and how my client was able to move forward.

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Master Your Energy, Not Your Time: A New Path to Productivity and Satisfaction

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Stop managing your time, start managing your energy. Sounds counterintuitive, right? Perhaps a bit woo woo? Trust me, this is a game-changer.

We’ve all been fed the myth of time management. A billion-dollar industry thrives on the idea that if we could just manage our time, we’d be more productive, more successful. But let me ask you, have you ever had one of those days where you were constantly busy, yet accomplished nothing meaningful? I’ve been there. Whether it was from my years practicing law, and running a successful firm, or more recently as an author, entrepreneur, and coach, I know the feeling. The truth is simple: If you end the day feeling drained and unsatisfied, you haven’t mastered your energy. That’s where your real power lies.