3 Key Steps to Creating a Champion’s Mindset

High Performance Coaching for Attorneys

Every outstanding attorney I work with (and believe me, they are all outstanding attorneys) is challenged by one basic thing: their mindset. That’s the value of a coach; I don’t get bogged down in the story my clients tell but, instead, am able to empower them to achieve their full potential by distilling the story they tell to its essence and getting to work on shifting their mindset as they work towards a solution. A recent coaching session is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. 

Most of Us Experience Too Many Highs and Lows

When we “win” (whatever that means in the moment) we feel really great. When we “lose” (again, whatever that means in the moment), we feel bad. As human beings, we experience highs and lows. It’s natural. It’s normal. It’s a problem.

Please do not misunderstand. I am all about celebrating wins, In my experience, high-achievers don’t invest the time to do so and, instead, are on to the next goal. This too can be a problem. That’s why I begin every single coaching session with having my clients identify a recent win.

Conversely, it is also important to learn from experiences which don’t necessarily go as planned. That’s how growth occurs. That’s how we learned, very quickly, not to touch a hot stove. 

Recognizing and celebrating wins and learning from when we fall short are necessary activities. It’s when we allow either to affect us inordinately, when the amplitude of the victory or perceived defeat is out of proportion or we swing too much between the highs of wining and the lows of losing that our performance actually suffers. 

A Champion’s Mindset - Modeling the Greatest Tennis Player of All Time.

In response to a question, my client mentioned the highs and lows and how he “had to” be better at not letting the lows through him off his game. That kicked off our coaching session.

We discussed how failures (no such thing), losses (the wrong word/concept), and falling short affected him. He listed 3 ways: distracting him from the present moment; creating self-doubt; and inhibiting his ability to accurately perform an after-action review which included positive aspects of the activity.

I brought the concept of a “Champion’s Mindset.” Into the session. My client loves to play tennis. I’ve known that about him since we first began our coaching journey. Naturally, I brought up the Greatest Of All Time (“GOAT”)  Roger Federer. 

In a commencement speech Roger 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:

“When you lose every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot.” 

In order to continue playing at an elite level, Federer could not and, indeed would not, allow himself to feel too good when he hit a winner nor too bad when his opponent made a better shot or, worse yet, he made an unforced error or  *gasp *double faulted. He simply moved on to the next point. 

After a match, though, he was able to perform an after-action review of what went well and where he could improve. In the moment though, he would not allow himself to get too high or too low.

3 Key Steps to Crafting a Champion’s Mindset

After a spirited discussion that clearly resonated with my client, it was time to go from hypothetical to practical. How would he go about becoming more like RF? Here are three actions steps my client agreed to undertake:

• Focus on the Process:  Because the our process is all we control, by focusing on it and not the outcome, we do not get too high or too low.

• Emotional Control: Develop the habit of having a measured response when things go well and not-so-well.

• Build Resilience:  Seeing challenges as opportunities for personal and professional growth. 

Is my client perfect at any of these steps yet? Of course not. Is he steadily moving forward, you bet. Is he comfortable. No way. Working with me as your coach isn’t comfortable. It’s not meant to be. Comfort is for those satisfied with the status quo, for those content to be “good enough” or “average.” Growth comes when we, as human beings, move through the discomfort.

My clients are the best attorneys in their field. They are the managing partners and law firm CEOs who understand the benefit of a champion’s mindset in their practices and lives. They increase revenue, master their time and focus, and improve performance while enjoying more free time and suffering less burnout. You can too. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery session with me here, or send me an email.

Not Taking Vacation Because You Feel Guilty? You’re Damaging Your Law Practice!

Are you a lawyer who feels guilty taking vacation? Can you even imagine unplugging for a day, let alone a week or two?

The billable hour requirement doesn’t go away when you do; I get it. Also, no one is going to take the work off of your desk while you’re away, amirite? Plus, you’ve likely bought into several (if not all) of the 5 lies lawyers tell themselves such as: Lie Number 1: I have to grind all the time to be successful; Lie Number 2: If I’m not busy, I’m lazy; and Lie Number 3: If I’m not busy, I’m lazy. If any of this sounds like you (or even if it doesn’t), you should most definitely read on.

Let’s start with some stats with some alarming stats from a recent Washington Post article that caught my eye. “Americans are about half as likely to be taking a vacation in any given week as they were 40 years ago” is the line that caught my eye. Dig deeper, though, and the statistics are even worse! Back in 1980, a measly 3.3% of people were taking vacation on any given week; today, that statistic is a measlier (yes, that’s a word) 1.7%. The article goes on to explain the “drop-off has been driven by our failure to take full-week vacations.”

Lawyers, holding advanced degrees should be, according to the statistics from the same article more likely to take both full week vacations (2.5%) and partial week vacations (2%). But are they properly represented in that data set? In other words, are lawyers actually taking time away from the office to recharge at the rates depicted in the article or, perhaps, less?

Sure, the use of vacation will vary depending on your position. For example, if you’re a true solo, you make take, perhaps a long weekend away, when courts are closed, think national holidays, and nothing else. If you’re a partner at an AM Law 100 firm, you may actually take a full week away totally unplugged. My guess is most lawyers are on a sliding scale that is weighted towards that true solo.

Now let’s talk about the importance of time away, truly away, from the office and work and what benefits would accrue to you, your clients, your firm, your family and friends, and your community. As I’ve spoken about (click here for a recording of my presentation on the basics of flow), the flow cycle consists of the following 4 phases: (1) Struggle; (2) Release; (3) Flow; (4) Recovery. Short (20 minute) periods of recovery daily to maintain your ability to achieve flow, however, aren’t enough in the long run. We need to disconnect, truly disconnect, in order to fully recharge and recover. That time away will redound to the benefit of not only your physical and mental health, but your productivity as well. We need look no further than professional athletes to understand this concept.

Many (if not all) professional athletes step completely away from their chosen sport during the “off season.” Some might look at this model and conclude it does not translate to the law firm environment. To those people, I ask one simple question: Why not? Lawyers are akin to athletes: we have to perform at a high level on a regular basis; our work is often divided into busy and not-so-busy cycles, akin to athletes ramping up for competition, etc. The only real difference is for lawyers, our “muscle” is our brains. Others may think they world-class athletes stay at the top of their game despite their time away. Talk to any Olympian or professional athlete, however, and they’ll tell you they are able to stay at the top of their game because of their time away, not in spite of it.

The benefits of recovery are well known in the athletic context (muscle recovery, cognitive rejuvenation, etc,), similar benefits come to lawyers who take time away: we are better able to perform our work, we are better leaders to our staff, we communicate better with clients, and we show up differently with our families, friends, and in our community.

The downside of not taking sufficient time away, truly away, from your work is an increased potential for burnout, or, worse yet, becoming one of the statistics our industry laments associated with alcohol abuse, depression, stress, and anxiety.

We’re all aware of the mindset “work hard; play hard.” The reality for many lawyers is “work hard; keep on working.” It’s a recipe for disaster.

Jeff Blackburn and Neil Young penned the lyric “it’s better to burnout than to fade away”; if you don’t take time away, this may as well be your mantra. The problem is that mantra hurts everyone. If you burnout, there are clients in the world who will never have the benefit of your unique legal mind; your firm, family, and community will suffer.

Don’t be that lawyer. Take time away.

If you struggle with taking time off and unplugging (or any of the 5 lies), reach out so we can have a conversation.

Flow And The Billable Hour Lawyer

Yesterday, I held a LinkedIn Live event sharing why cultivating a law practice which incorporates the concept of working in a flow state makes imminent sense for any lawyer who has a billable hour requirement. Click here to be directed to the LinkedIn recording; read on for a brief summary of the event.

The death of the billable hour has been talked about for years and, yet, the model just won’t seem to die! When lawyers hear about the benefits of a flow state, they myopically focus on the fact they’ll be 5x (that’s 500%) more productive. That’s the conclusion of a McKinsey Quarterly Report from 2013 and is based on a survey of more than 5,000 executives. That focus ignores the myriad other benefits of incorporating flow into your law practice.

Here are some of the benefits of working in a flow state:

• Increased concentration and focus

• Increased work product quality

• Increased client satisfaction

• Reduced potential for burnout

• Better work-life blend (balance is a myth)

Increased client satisfaction leads to solid-gold referral sources for your practice. Reduced potential for burnout leads to you working with more purpose and serving clients who need you longer. Better work-life blend will result in you showing up differently for your family and community.

The benefits of having a law practice which incorporates the practice of flow greatly outweigh any “hit” you’ll take to your billable hours. There’s no valid reason not to build a law practice based on flow.

The 5 Lies Lawyers Have Bought Into: Lie Number 3 - You Must Be Available 24/7.

Cell phone. Text message. Email. Lions. Tigers. Bears. Oh my!

I think Steve Jobs was a genius, but part of me absolutely despises him for being what I view of the enabler of the lie all lawyers are told: you have to be available 24/7. That thought is balderdash! It actually sets lawyers up for failure. 

There are no fewer than two reasons why failure is the only result of being available 24/7.

First, there is a concept in sales you should under promise and over deliver in order to create clients who are evangelists for you and your work. This concept is true for lawyers as well because we all know a 100% referral-based business is the holy grail of any law practice. If you can create that, your client creation is a flywheel that, in essence, is a perpetual motion machine.

If you set the expectation with others you are available 24/7 and will respond immediately, you can only fail! There is no way you can keep batting 1.000. Ain’t happening, my friend. People will remember that one time you didn’t keep your promise and respond relatively immediately. That’s failure and that’s what you’ll be remembered for.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, if you’re available 24/7 why in the world did you become a lawyer? You could go work in retail, fast food, or any grocery store, and get decent benefits, get paid a living wage, and be able to unplug after your 8.5 hour shift. You’d be able to have a LIFE! You could find that illusive work-life blend we all seek. You would have freedom! Instead, by being available 24/7, you’re creating a cage, albeit a platinum one with presumably high pay and at least a modicum of respect. 

I’m here to tell you, you DO NOT have to, nor should you be, available 24/7. 

This all comes down to setting reasonable expectations with clients and any other people you interact with on a daily basis. Set your heuristics (the rules you live by) and stick to them.

When I had an active legal practice, I let clients know I would typically return emails within 12 hours and voicemails within 24 hours. I would also tell them I would not be available after 6 p.m. my time and, if they attempted to contact me, to not expect to hear from me until the following day. Same for opposing counsel. Same for my law partners. 

Those were the my rules. 

The benefits of setting those rules at the outset of my engagements was that I was able to unplug and be fully present with my family and in my community, absent the week leading up to and including jury trials. I also set myself up to exceed my client’s expectations because, occasionally, I would respond to a message immediately or closely after receiving it. My clients became my evangelists and my client pipeline was full of pre-qualified, closer-to-ideal, clients.

You have to get the thought you must be available 24/7 out of your head. It doesn’t serve clients, your law practice, your family, your community. It simply does not serve you.

The 5 Lies Lawyers Have Bought Into: Lie Number 2 - If you're not busy, your lazy.

Picture the hamster on its wheel or, for those with more refined taste, Sisyphus pushing his boulder up the hill. 

There’s a bill of goods we’re sold from the moment we enter law school, that is double-downed on when we practice law: 

If you’re not busy, you’re lazy.

I’m here to tell you it’s a bunch of crap and, in fact, the opposite is true.

I believe busyness is laziness. Let me explain.

We all have 168 hours each and every week. That’s all the time we have. Period. We can’t make any more. The decisions you make for what goes into your 168-hour pie is where the real work is. If you’re lazy here, then you’ll be busy, busy, busy, everywhere else. 

But what are you busy doing? Are you busy doing your high-leverage work. The work only you can do? Are you taking ideal cases from ideal clients that give you energy and excitement? Are you saying no to virtually every opportunity that comes your way?

This isn’t just me talking here. According to Inc., Warren Buffett believes: “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” Steve Jobs famously said: “Focus is about saying no.” Tim Ferris, best-selling author of “The 4-Hour Work Week” wrote: “Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding critically important but uncomfortable actions.”

Please don’t come here believing, as a successful lawyer, you’re some kind of unicorn to whom the rules don’t apply. Don’t tell me these people who have dented the universe in their own unique way got it all wrong when it comes to attorneys in general and you in particular.

Please, stop lying to yourself. Please, stop listening to others’ lies. 

Any coach worth her or his salt can help you build a system to attract ideal clients and make decisions based on what is important to you. A good coach can help you build guardrails so your 168-hour week is filled with meaningful work. That is, frankly, the easy part.

The hard part is finding a coach who can help you radically rewire your mindset so you can learn to block out the voices - both external and the voice in your head - that tell you if you’re not busy you’re lazy. 

I am that kind of coach if you’re ready to do the work. Here’s what sets me apart from any other coach on the planet:

• Your bullshit doesn’t scare me

• I will never shame or “should” you

• You cannot convince me you aren’t great

Are you ready to get to work transforming your life?